The Government of the Azores, through the Regional Secretariats for the Sea, Science and Technology and External Relations, defends that fishing capacity indicators must be adapted to the reality of various fleets and fisheries, namely in Outermost Regions." This claim was made under the public consultation process carried out by the European Commission on the entry-exit system of the fishing fleet.
 
In the specific case of the Azores, the Government notes that the current indicators used to measure the fishing capacity and management regarding the entry and exit of vessels in the fleet, namely the tonnage and power of vessels, "are not suited to the reality of the fleet and fisheries." This is especially visible in the restrictions on the powerage of vessels.
 
The Regional Government understands that the current restrictions are "clearly justified" for fleets using trawling gear, which are non-existing in the Azores. Therefore, it defends that the indicators of fleet capacity in the Region should be "the number of vessels and the respective tonnage."
 
In this context, the Azorean Government defends an exceptional scheme on the replacement system for the fishing fleet that takes into consideration the type of gear used, the technical details of vessels and their exploitation pattern. Moreover, it should also take into account adverse weather conditions, "which significantly affect the operating conditions of vessels, especially smaller ones."
 
In the document, the Government of the Azores considers that the Region has "the conditions to adapt the scheme on the fishing capacity management" in order to ensure "the balance between the fishing capacity of fleets and their fishing opportunities."
 
The Azorean Government also recalls the European Commission's commitment to "examine the possibility of allocating State aid for the construction of new vessels in Outermost Regions by modifying the guidelines on State aid to the fisheries sector."
 
In this regard, regional authorities hope that this will lead to the possibility of granting State aid to the construction of new vessels in Outermost Regions.
 
The Government of the Azores believes that "each new vessel built that enters the fishing fleet must correspond to the exit of an active vessel of equal or greater tonnage to prevent an increase in the fishing effort."
 
By the end of 2018, the European Commission will undertake the commitment to assess the current fleet replacement scheme in the light of the evolution of the fleet capacity and fishing opportunities, and to propose amendments if necessary.