The Regional Secretariat of the Sea, Science and Technology, through the Regional Directorate for Fisheries, and in partnership with the Azores Fisheries Federation and the Sea Institute will organise the international conference on “Ocean Governance in Archipelagos" in Horta between October 7 and 10.
 
This event intents to gather more than one hundred representatives from the fisheries sector and organisations linked to the sea, as well as members of acknowledged institutions dedicated to the research, monitoring and management of marine resources, regional administration technicians, and NGO's representatives.
 
The aim is to discuss the sustainability of island systems, to reinforce the role of scientific and technological research and to evaluate ongoing research and monitoring projects that contribute to the provision of scientific advice on the exploitation of resources, management of marine protected areas or maritime spatial planning, among others.
 
Former MEP Ricardo Serrão Santos, researcher Elliott Hazen from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), USA, and scientist Malcolm Clark from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), New Zealand, are among the guest speakers.
 
This conference also includes the participation of US researcher Mike Sigler, with more than 30 years of experience in Alaska research in marine ecology and fish stock assessment, UK researchers Mark James and Imants Priede, as well as researchers from the various departments of the University of Azores.
 
Moreover, another highlight of the event will be the participation of David Johnson, an ocean policy expert, who was appointed in 2006 as Executive Secretary of the OSPAR Commission, the International Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic. He was also involved in the creation of the OSPAR Quality Status Report 2010 and the subsequent implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
 
The main themes will focus on fisheries assessment and management, knowledge production for decision-making, ocean literacy, management of marine protected areas and maritime spatial planning.
 
With this conference, also organised in collaboration with the Regional Directorate for Sea Affairs, the aim is to carry out a prospective reflection on the comprehensive nature of the sea and acquire experience from other regions and countries, namely as regards the role of applied research in island regions.
 
This event is an opportunity for Outermost Regions to position themselves as mobilising platforms for a more rational and sustainable use of the oceans, given their specificities and greater vulnerability in a changing ocean.
 
Interested parties may register on the event’s website at https: //ogarconference.wixsite.com/mysite/.
 
This conference will also include a workshop on the Azores Maritime Spatial Planning process scheduled for October 9 as part of the "Macaronesian Maritime Spatial Planning" European project (http://www.marsp.eu/), through which the Region is developing its maritime spatial planning plan.