The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology announced today in Horta that 570 applications were submitted under POSEI Fisheries, adding that the payment of aid to Azorean fishers, amounting to 3.4 million Euros, will be made "by the end of June."
 
Gui Menezes admitted that "some the payments regarding some applications could still take place in the end of May." However, he noted that the Financing Institute of Agriculture and Fisheries (IFAP) "only makes payments at the end of each month and, therefore, all payments will be made in the end of June."
 
The Regional Secretary spoke at the end of a meeting with the President of the Azores Fisheries Federation to address several topics, such as the loss of income among fishers and the assessment of the quarterly management of the red seabream quota.
 
The government official stressed that "the Government of the Azores is aware of the difficulties experienced by some fishers due to the reduction of horse mackerel catches." Hence, it is important to adapt the current rules to the current needs of horse mackerel fishing vessels on São Miguel Island.
 
In this context, he highlighted the creation of a special scheme that authorises the use of purse seine and brailing gear on S. Miguel Island for horse mackerel catches during the weekend.
 
On the other hand, the Regional Secretary added that the Regional Government will propose an amendment to the Regional Legislative Decree establishing the Surveillance and Monitoring of Diesel Supply to Agriculture and Fisheries. This measure will support diesel supply to fishing vessels in a similar to the agricultural sector.
 
According to Gui Menezes, this proposal will be taken to the next Council of the Government and, later on, to the Legislative Assembly for voting.
 
The Regional Secretary recalled that the vessels engaged in horse mackerel fishing "hold a license for the use of other fishing gear and, therefore, can catch other species." He noted that this month "there are already good indicators on the unloading of horse mackerel in the Region." According to him, in just four days the quantity of horse mackerel unloaded in the archipelago was more than twice the volume unloaded during the entire month of April.
 
Gui Menezes pointed out that the situation "may be returning to normal," underlining that "shortage of horse mackerel occasionally verified on some islands is due to environmental causes that are difficult to analyse and not due to overfishing."
 
At the meeting, the Regional Secretary presented the results of the quarterly management of the red seabream quota. According to him, "this year, compared to 2016, Azorean fishers collected half a million Euros more with the same quantity of fish caught, i.e., 132 tonnes."
 
"We are making a more rational and smarter management of this fishery, which is paying good results." The average price of red seabream rose up to 40% regarding 2016, from 9.09 to 12.77 in the first sale.
 
Gui Menezes also highlighted the publication of a resolution, approved in the last Council of Government, which exempts fishers from paying a fee on the issuance of fishing licenses for tourism fishing.
 
According to the Regional Secretary, this is a measure intended to encourage tourism fishing insofar as it is also a "way of generating supplementary income to fishing"; each vessel owner may benefit once from this exemption by 2020.
 
Gui Menezes also said that, at the request of the Regional Government, there will be a distribution of the national quota for "Beryxs" (alfonsino) between Mainland Portugal and the Azores. This "will allow the Region to manage its quota internally."
 
Speaking to journalists, the government official also announced the implementation of support measures under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), to which Azorean fishermen may apply. They are intended to support investments on board vessels in the limiting of the impact of fishing activities, added value and fish quality, energy efficiency, safety and hygiene.
 
At this meeting, it was agreed that the Regional Secretary will meet quarterly with the Azores Fisheries Federation in order to better monitor the sector.