The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology stated in Horta that the support for investments on board fishing vessels co-financed by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) under the Sea 2020 strategy "will be extended for another year."
 
Gui Menezes pointed out that these support measures focus on improving safety and hygiene on board, limiting the impact of fishing activities and promoting energy efficiency; therefore, they may boost the income of fishers.
 
In addition to improving the hygiene, health, safety and working conditions of fishers as well as the added value and quality of fish products, the support is also intended for investments to reduce the impact of fishing on the marine environment and the adaptation of fishing to the protection of species.
 
The amendment to ordinance 39, which enters into force today, will allow Azorean fishers to apply for support until December 31, 2019. These measures cover investments aimed at improving the selectivity of fishing gear in terms of size and species or the replacement of engines by more efficient and less polluting ones.
 
The Regional Secretary also stressed the importance of support for the promotion of fish and the quality of fishing products, particularly through investments intended to create "better conditions in terms of cold storage and fish processing."
 
According to the type of operations to be carried out, owners of fishing vessels registered at regional port, fishers and duly recognised organisations of the sectors may benefit from these support measures.
 
Projects selected for funding may benefit from a support rate of 65% of eligible expenditure, which may be increased to 85% in the case of operations involving fishing vessels of less 12 metres or to 100% for operations carried out by fishers' organisations, provided they are of collective interest and have innovative features at local level
 
In accordance with Community rules, operations that increase a vessel's fishing capacity or its ability to detect fish are not eligible.
 
Under these investments on board fishing vessels, 14 applications amounting to 467 thousand Euros have been submitted in the Azores and, so far, six have already been approved, representing an overall investment of 340 thousand Euros.