The Regional Fisheries Council, an advisory body of the Regional Secretariat for the Sea, Science and Technology, will meet Thursday to analyse the new regional policies that will ensure the sustainability of the sector in the Azores and boost the income of fishers.

The meeting will address the following subjects: importance of the management of marine resources; fisheries inspection; the management of red seabream fishing; the regulation of recreational fishing; the ordinance on minimum size and closed fishing seasons; the plan to increase the income of fishers; the creation of coastal action groups and the implementation of community-based measures for local development.

The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology said these measures "will be subject to a comprehensive discussion" in order to "safeguard important marine resources for the economic activities that create jobs in the Region."

Taking into consideration the ecological sustainability of the fisheries sector, Fausto Brito e Abreu pointed out the "proposed reduction in the maximum amount of daily catches in recreational fishing, which will be subject to some restrictions already applied to professional fishing, such as minimum sizes closed fishing seasons."

The Regional Secretary also defends the establishment of a closed period of two months for red seabream, between January 15 and March 15, the increase of the minimum catch size from 30 to 31 cm and the management of red seabream quotas per island.

As for the management of species with quota, such as red seabream, Brito e Abreu stressed that "it is also necessary to reflect on the impact of recreational fishing on marine resources, especially at a time when are discussing new regulations for professional fishing."