The 1st Small Fishing Congress, which took place this Sunday, the 4th, at the Quarteira Municipality Centre, with the presence of the Secretary of State for Fisheries, brought together fishermen's organizations, shipowners' associations, shipbuilding and repair yards, non-governmental governments, universities, research centers and mayors. The initiative was considered a «success» by Docapesca, which organized it.
Teresa Coelho, Secretary of State for Fisheries, revealed that “the Mar 2030 operational program was approved”, adding that Portugal is “the only member state that has a financial package superior, in Mar 2030, to that of Mar 2020, this because the Portuguese Government decided to allocate a further 14 million euros in funds to fisheries, aquaculture, innovation, research and the sea. There are 540 million euros compared to 504 million euros of public expenditure in the previous program”.
During the Congress, the minister also presented the Strategic Plan for Small Fishing 2022-2030, whose main objectives are to “ensure the sustainability of small-scale fishing, promote energy transition, digitization and increase knowledge and competitiveness in the sector and appreciation of the fishing activity”.
In this first edition of the Small Fishing Congress, topics such as the attractiveness of the fishing sector, the valuation of fish, fleet modernization, co-management processes and the challenges facing the sector were under discussion.
For Sérgio Faias, chairman of the Board of Directors of Docapesca, “artisanal fishing is an activity that has greatly contributed to defining our collective identity, but which is not limited to the practice of catching fish”.
“There is a whole range of other activities that contribute to the development of communities, ranging from shipbuilding and repair to the sale and processing of fish, but also tourism and catering, activities in which Portugal and in particular the Algarve region are involved. stand for excellence, for which the fishing activity is of vital importance”, added the official.
Sector Personality Distinction Awards were awarded
Closing the congress, the Secretary of State for Fisheries also handed over two “Sector Personality Distinction Awards”.
One of them was given to Luís Graça, socialist deputy to the Assembly of the Republic, elected by the Algarve, for having been «the most distinguished personality, at national level and, in particular, in the Algarve region, for the defense of small-scale sustainable fishing and for the way it has supported one of the sectors of activity that most contributes to the economy of communities».
The other was given to Hugo Martins, president of Quarpesca, "for the work carried out in favor of artisanal fishing, not only at national level, but also at international level, through joining the Ibero-American Network of Artisanal Fishing".
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