The environmental association Quercus wants the government to follow the scientific recommendations of the International Council for the Exploration of the MAR (ICES) and that «Portugal abandons, or strongly restricts, the capture of sardines during the next 15 years, or until new scientific evidence to the contrary is revealed».
Quercus defends that the «species be defended» so that «sardines exist for future generations».
The association says that “it has been following with great interest and concern the situation of the Iberian sardine fishing and considers that the sustainability of a fishery cannot be taken lightly. He also recalls that stocks of other species that have collapsed, such as the California sardine (Pacific Ocean) already existed».
For Quercus, “there is no time to lose and alternative options have to be considered and implemented, so that the sustainability of our fishing fleet and the species on which it depends are achieved. In the case of purse seine fishing that depends on sardines, the fleet should focus on alternative species that are in good condition, such as horse mackerel”.
For his part, Miguel Cardoso, president of Olhãopesca, considers that, if this measure goes ahead, it will mark "the end of siege fishing in Portugal, the canning industry and freezing".
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