Maritime Minister Ricardo Serrão Santos announced this Friday, June 18, that there are conditions to increase the possibilities of catching sardines to 30 tons during the current year, allowing the fishery to last at least until November.
The scientific opinion, requested by the Government from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), was announced at a press conference attended by the Secretary of State for Fisheries and the President of the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere.
Sardine fishing reopened on the 17th of May, after almost seven months of stoppage, with a quota fixed at 10 thousand tons until the 31st of July. Now, the fishing deadline could be extended until November, which means that there could be fresh sardines on the table throughout the summer, which is good in terms of catering and even the industry.
In May of this year, ICES validated the Multi-Year Plan presented for 2021-2026 as a precautionary measure. According to this plan, catches in Portugal could double compared to the value established for 2020. At the beginning of 2021, a limit of 10 thousand tons of catches for Portugal was set until July. because there was already evidence that «the resource was more robust».
“We are in a position to increase this value from 10 thousand to close to 30 thousand tons. We cannot give an exact value, as the management options for this resource will have to be agreed with Spain, as the source is common. However, this is already excellent news for Portuguese fisheries», highlighted Ricardo Serrão Santos.
The opinion of the ICES, released an hour earlier, states that the scientific assessment shows a recovery of the breeding stock, which, in the current year, is 451 tons. This is good news because, in 2015, the value was 120 thousand tons and, last year, it had been estimated at 344 tons.
«The recovery now verified allows, from now on, to authorize larger catches, which could contribute to an increase in the profitability of the seine fishing sector. I remember that this component of the fleet made a considerable effort to reach this moment, with the fishermen of Portugal acting as true “guardians of the seas”», said Ricardo Serrão Santos, Minister of the Sea.
Last year, ICES, which is an independent scientific entity, issued an opinion that advised the maximum capture of 11 tons of Iberian sardines in 2021. This time, the ICES opinion points to 40 tons, in a scenario of captures to the Maximum Sustainable Income level. This parameter is adopted in the Common Fisheries Policy of the European Union.
Iberian sardines have been managed bilaterally by Portugal and Spain. Therefore, now is the time to start negotiations between the two countries. The Iberian quota should be between 40 and 45 thousand tons. There will also be meetings with the fishing sector in order to establish all the rules for managing this quota.
Portugal has a Monitoring Committee that integrates all elements of the fishing sector (fisheries professionals, manufacturing industry, unions, scientists, environmental organizations and the administration) and which was invited to meet with the Ministry of the Sea to analyze the opinion ICES and discuss the prospects for fishery management in the coming months.
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