The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology stated today in Santa Cruz da Graciosa that the Government of the Azores wants "to encourage the contact between scientists and regional economic actors with the aim of promoting a more competitive and sustainable knowledge-based economy."

Fausto Brito e Abreu mentioned the existence of research centres in the archipelago in the field of marine biology that are conducting their work on Azorean seaweed species. In this context, the government official noted that "the seaweed gatherers should take advantage of this knowledge for their benefit."

The Regional Secretary for the Sea spoke at the conference "Seaweed Harvesting: sustainability and income generation", an initiative developed by the Regional Secretariat for the Sea, Science and Technology in partnership with Graciosa Fishers' Association with the aim of contributing to the sustainability of seaweed harvesting on Graciosa Island.

The event included the presentation of a paper by Rita Patarra, researcher at the University of the Azores, on seaweed harvesting methods and the risks of invasive species.

"The harvesting of seaweeds is an activity with high economic potential in the Azores," Brito e Abreu defended, warning that "it is essential to ensure their sustainability without calling into to marine ecosystems, the future of fisheries and harvesting of seaweeds."

"We must have a precautionary and responsible attitude to ensure the sustainability of seaweed harvesting on Graciosa and in the Region" said the Regional Secretary for the Sea, who pointed pointing aquaculture as a solution for the future.

In this context, Brito e Abreu highlighted the importance of local community-based measures to promote "initiatives that can improve the income of fishers, through the development of activities that are complementary to fishing, such as seaweed harvesting."

The Regional Secretary for the Sea praised the work that is being carried out by Graciosa Fishers' Association, which harvests and exports seaweeds to food, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

"On the island of Graciosa, the harvesting of seaweed for export is a complementary activity carried out by fishers that yielded 80 thousand Euros in the last two years," mentioned the government official.

Brito e Abreu also emphasised the gastronomic potential of seaweeds, an area where there is still "room to innovate with new dishes"; it can also become a tourist attraction.

The promotion of activities related to the sea that provide an additional income to fishers, such as the harvesting of seaweeds, and the best use of scientific knowledge are some of the measures comprised by the plan "Better Fisheries, More Income," presented by the Azorean Government in April 2015.