The Government proposes to the European Union enhanced protection of Azorean fishing banks and seamounts, through the introduction of further restrictions on the access to the waters located within the protected area, so that the Azorean fleet may have priority status in that area.

This subject was addressed in Ponta Delgada on Friday morning during a joint press conference of the Regional Under Secretaries for European Affairs and External Cooperation, Rodrigo Oliveira, and Fisheries, Marcelo Pamplona.

Taking into account the "Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy," Marcelo Pamplona considered that the 100 mile protection area is insufficient because the Azores Exclusive Economic Zone has little potential in terms of fishery resources and this distance from protection has created some economic instability in the Azorean fisheries sector.

According to the government official, the reduction of maritime protection does not grant equal opportunities in terms of fishing rights when compared to the protection of small coastal fishing in the European continent.

With this finding, based on adequate supporting documentation prepared by researchers from the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries of the University of the Azores and the Fisheries Federation, the Azorean Government believed that the liberalised area has been the target of an increasing fishing effort.

This area has led EU vessels, capable of travelling long distances, to transfer part of their intensive fishing activity to the waters adjacent to the Azores, stressed the Regional Under Secretary of Fisheries.

Therefore, the Regional Government considers that this new proposal should be part of the new Common Fisheries Policy in order to reach an equitable solution in terms of fishing opportunities for the regional fishing community, which is in line with the need to protect the maritime economy of this Outermost region under the terms of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.