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In a statement, the National Association of Fisheries Producers Organizations (ANOPCERCO) recalls that fishermen of this gear are, “for the seventh consecutive year”, prevented from catching their “main target species” as of October, in an activity that extends “normally until December”.
“If in the first four years the fishermen understood and accepted, with a sense of responsibility, the recommendations and rationale behind these prohibitions, in the last three years there has been a huge contradiction between the growing abundance of the scientifically validated resource and the fishing opportunities. increasingly reduced, “says ANOPCERCO.
The association, based in Peniche, highlights that the “estimated total adult sardine biomass” by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) “is 344,114 tons”, but Portugal and Spain “only managed to capture 19,106 tons”, which corresponds to “less than 6% of the total available”.
“This level of fishing mortality is the lowest of all the records presented by ICES since data are available, that is, since 1978,” the statement sent to the Lusa agency reads.
The capture and unloading of sardines is prohibited from 00:00 this Saturday, according to an order from the Secretary of State for Fisheries, Teresa Coelho, published on Thursday in Diário da República.
According to this order, the sardine catch, with limits to ensure the gradual recovery of the resource, in accordance with the objectives set out in the Common Fisheries Policy, reached the limit set for this year by the Government, taking into account the agreement with Spain in the plan. Pluriannual Management and Recovery of Sardines 2018-2023.
“With strict management of catches, the limit set by the aforementioned orders has already been reached, so, within the framework of the Management Plan agreed between Portugal and Spain, it is urgent to reinforce conservation and protection measures for this species, establishing, for all fishing gear, a total ban on the capture of sardines ”, reads the order signed by Teresa Coelho.
The sardine fishing had reopened on June 1 of this year, with defined daily and weekly catch limits, after it ended on October 12 of last year.
In the order published this Thursday, the Secretary of State for Fisheries also recalls that they are in process, “it is expected that the results will be published, before the end of the year, of the validation of the exploitation norm and the annual evaluation of the state on resource in question by ICES, the body responsible for determining the fishing opportunities for next year, respecting the distribution agreed between Portugal and Spain.
“Based on the results of this evaluation, the start of the fishing activity in 2021 will be defined, within the framework of the Management Plan, taking into account the commitment of both Member States to ensure a minimum stop of six months of fishing aimed at the sardine ”, he concludes.
However, ANOPCERCO maintains that “2021 should be the year of change” and that “the proportional and fair adjustment of fishing opportunities to the real size of the resource” should be “the main priority for the governments of Portugal and Spain.”
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