The new limits for the daily catch of sardines came into effect at 00:00 today, and the rules were established by order of the Director General of Natural Resources, Security and Maritime Services (DGRM).
The opinion of ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) issued on June 18th confirmed the good expectations of the state of the resource, and the total quota for the year 2021 will now be agreed between Portugal and Spain, which have managed the fishery together, based on a Plan of Sardine Recovery and Management.
As already announced by the Minister of the Sea, the global quota for Portugal could be close to 30 thousand tons, which will allow the extension of this fishery until November, which represents, according to a note from the DGRM, «a very important growth». In 2020 a total quota of 12.700 tonnes was set.
In this favorable context, the aforementioned order determines that, from 00:00 hours on June 21st, the daily limits for unloading and/or offering for sale sardines are now as follows: 1.327,5 kilos (59 hampers, when applicable) for vessels with an overall length of less than or equal to 9 meters; 2.655 kilos (118 hampers, when applicable) for vessels between 9 and 16 meters and a further 3.982,5 kilos (177 hampers, when applicable), when the length was greater than 16 meters.
This year, fishing for sardines reopened last May 17th, after almost seven months of interdiction, with a provisional limit of ten thousand tons until the end of July.
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