For now, there are 166 Algarve fishermen who will share 1,2 million euros of financial compensation to «mitigate the economic impacts resulting from fishing restrictions», imposed by the creation of the Recife do Algarve Marine Natural Park – Pedra do Valado, and even to «facilitate the transition to new activities, while ensuring the sustainability of local communities».
The compensation measures were presented on Wednesday late afternoon, in the shelter port of Albufeira, by the Minister of the Environment, in a session where fishermen also participated, namely from the associations of Albufeira and Armação de Pêra, the presidents of the Chamber of three municipalities whose fishing communities are affected (Albufeira, Lagoa and Silves), the president of ICNF, the entity that manages this new protected area in the Algarve, the representatives of the Oceano Azul Foundation and CCMAR, the presidents of Docapesca and the Tourism Region of Algarve and the Secretary of State for Fisheries, among other entities.
Despite the session being attended by two dozen fishermen, from small ports from Alvor to Olhos d'Água, not all associations in the sector are happy with the restrictions imposed, but, above all, with the amount of financial compensation (1,2, 2024 million in XNUMX) that will be allocated.
What is certain is that, as revealed by Marco Rebelo, director of the Environmental Fund (where the money to be paid to fishermen will come from), since the morning of August 6th, “a page has been available on the Environmental Fund website where fishermen If they can register, they fill out the form, prove that they are the owners of the vessels that operated in the area, demonstrate that they have no debts to Social Security and the Tax Authority and, therefore, once the upstream work is done, they will be entitled to the their financial compensation”.
The support will be distributed among «166 fishermen who were identified by the directors of the fishing associations involved, with different amounts of compensation and subsidy allocated, due to a series of criteria that were defined with the support of different entities», he added.
In short, these criteria have to do with «the proportion of fishing effort allocated to the park for each vessel, they have to do with the history of landings and the average value of the three best years in a reference period that was defined between 2018 and 2022 , with the size of the vessel, with the distance from the port to the marine park», explained the director of the Environmental Fund.
Stating that he has no doubt that it will be a “quick” process, Marco Rebelo warned that applications are open “until October 31st”. «The sooner they register, the sooner they will receive the compensation provided for in this mechanism», he guaranteed.
Manuel João Prudêncio, president of the Armação de Pêra Fishermen's Association, highlighted, in this regard, the fact that this type of granting of compensation to fishermen is "unprecedented in Portugal".
For his part, Miguel Reis, from the Albufeira Fishermen's Association, highlighting that «fishermen are the party that will be most affected in this process», drew attention to two issues that are not yet fully clarified: «we have already received the list of vessels that are covered by compensation, but there are some vessels that are not included there».
Regarding this question, Nuno Banza, president of the ICNF, immediately responded that, «if a vessel is missing from the list, if there is an error, if something failed us, we will certainly correct it».
Miguel Reis also wanted to know who will pay for the monitoring boxes that all vessels that can fish in part of the Pedra do Valado Natural Park will have to have. «The cost of these devices will be borne by who? By fishermen? By ICNF? These are the doubts that torment us,” he said.
Here too, it was Nuno Banza who responded, stating that both the ICNF and DGRM are “looking for a way to pay for this investment, so that the fishermen do not have to pay”.
«In fact, we think there must be a way to pay for this investment, and we still haven't been able to find a solution», he admitted.
Previously, the director of the Environmental Fund had drawn attention to the fact that the compensation mechanism and the way in which the Marine Park will be managed include «the three dimensions of sustainability: environmental, economic and social».
It is, he stressed, a “mechanism that aims to compensate and somehow minimize the impact, in the short term, of the effect of creating a protected area. Because there will, naturally, be restrictions on access to certain areas of the Marine Park and these will result in loss of income».
Thus, “a mechanism was created to compensate the economic operators who used that area, the fishermen and who for the first time in Portugal will be entitled to compensation”.
Cláudia Monteiro de Aguiar, Secretary of State for Fisheries, said the same thing: «this place, in addition to being home to a rich biodiversity, is also and will be a vital center for commercial fishing activities, recreational fishing, but also for the surrounding maritime-tourism”.
All of these activities depend on “the good environmental and functional state of the marine ecosystem”.
«These assumptions are essential for social sustainability, they are also essential for the economic sustainability of our coastal communities and are fundamental for the fishing sector, which is also a fundamental sector for this sustainability», he added.
«The fishing sector not only economically supports countless families, but also preserves deep cultural traditions, which are an integral part of our entire national identity, just as this great fishing industry has contributed and continues to contribute to reinforcing this identity», highlighted the secretary of State.
For this government official, «fishermen are guardians of our maritime heritage and play a crucial role in the sustainability of our marine resources», so «it is more than fair that those who face some limitations in terms of access to certain areas of this Recife Marine Natural Park in the Algarve, due to this new implementation, are, precisely, compensated for potential income losses».
But Cláudia Aguiar Monteiro even wants to go further, having argued that «it is good that we not only look at monetary compensation, but that we look and try to find public policy solutions that allow us to also support ourselves from the point of view of monitoring and valorization of fish”.
The Minister of Environment and Energy, after stating that «the Pedra do Valado Marine Natural Park is a source of pride for the Algarve region and for our country», made a point of highlighting that «the fact that this project began in civil society, particularly in the three municipalities that host it" is "a strong indication of the support it has had and will have from communities and the local economic fabric", both in fishing and tourism.
But the Government, stressed Maria da Graça Carvalho, recognizes «the sacrifices we are asking of these communities, by limiting the human activities that can be carried out in this new natural park». Hence the creation of this compensation mechanism, endowed with 1,2 million euros for the current year.
Once again emphasizing that this is a system that is “unique in Portugal”, although it already exists “in several European countries”, the minister expressed her desire to “do everything so that this Marine Park runs well and is an example for future parks”.
According to the Minister of the Environment, «the fact that we are restricting human activities in this new natural park does not mean that it ceases to constitute a great added value for the country and for the municipalities in this region, an added value, to begin with. , of excellence for the development of scientific research activities linked to the sea, which could lead us to the development of new sustainable economic activities linked to this sector».
Then, «an added value also for the fishing activity itself», since «this reserve brings together very favorable conditions for the spawning and development of several species with great commercial interest, which, in the future, will not be limited to the limits of the park, helping to replenish fish stocks in the surrounding areas».
«There are several scientific studies that demonstrate this positive relationship, so it is my conviction that fishermen from these municipalities will be an active part of protecting this reserve, not only is it good for biodiversity, but also to protect the future of fishing in this region», he added .
In such a way that Maria da Graça Carvalho was also confident that «events like the one reported a few days ago, with the capture of 59 traps by the Maritime Police within the borders of the Marine Park, will be increasingly rare».
The Pedra do Valado Marine Natural Park was created last January, by the previous Government (a fact that was highlighted by the current Minister of the Environment in her speech) and covers an area of 156 square kilometers, being, therefore, one of the largest reefs in Portugal, home to immense marine biodiversity.
The creation of the Park, which began in 2018, was a participatory process that involved local communities and local authorities, to ensure that their concerns were considered.
Consultative Committee for the Special Marine Park Program created
The Marine Natural Park was created «with a view to establishing a management and safeguarding regime for natural resources and values that would guarantee the conservation of nature and biodiversity, combined with the rational use of natural resources, conciliation with social and economic development of the populations that depend on them, essential to the implementation of the principle of sustainable use of the territory and the guarantee of its availability for future generations».
The Special Program seeks, precisely, to flesh out the development of a conservation and management strategy for this new marine protected area.
Great ecological wealth
It is here that Pedra do Valado is located, the largest coastal reef in the Algarve and one of the largest in Portugal, which presents unique natural values in the context of the Portuguese coast. In terms of location and geographic delimitation, it comprises the area between the Farol of Alfanzina, western limit (municipality of Lagoa), and the Albufeira marina, eastern limit, extending to the bathymetric limit of around 50 meters. The Marine Natural Park covers an area of approximately 156 square kilometers.
The diversity and complexity of habitats present provided extraordinary marine biodiversity, attested by the discovery of 12 new species to science.
In addition, another 45 new occurrences of marine species were recorded here for Portugal.
In total, around 889 species were identified in this area, of which 703 are invertebrates, 111 are fish and 75 are algal species.
In addition to the high number of species present, 24 vulnerable species and/or species with conservation status were identified, including the grouper (Epinephelus marginatus) and seahorses (hippocampus hippocampus).
This is an area of excellence for marine biodiversity, acting as a maternity ward for marine life, for many species that are born, grow and live on this coast.
It is also a source of fishing resources of high commercial value, such as octopus, snapper, bream, sea bream, sea bass and sole, which find refuge here, enabling an increase in their abundance in adjacent areas.
The bottom of this reef is partly made up of a submerged sandbank between 18 and 25 meters below mean sea level and which attests to an ancient coastline.
Rocky reefs or natural reefs are habitats designated for protection under the Habitats Directive. At the same time, of the seven new habitats for the European EUNIS classification system (European Nature Information System) identified throughout the southern coast of the Algarve, six occur in this marine area, with emphasis on gorgonian gardens, communities of brown algae and calcareous algae, and ophiurid banks.
On the other hand, three habitats with protection status under the OSPAR Convention are present in this marine area, namely the aforementioned gorgonian gardens, seagrass meadows (Cymodocea knotosa), which are unique on the Portuguese coast, and the banks of Maerl (calcareous algae).
Within this marine area, off Albufeira and Armação de Pêra, there are particular oceanographic characteristics, both at an abiotic and biotic level, which favor the growth and survival of fish larvae, particularly sardines.
Finally, this marine area is frequently visited by species of marine mammals (dolphins and whales), marine reptiles (turtles) and seabirds, with national and international protection status, and which could benefit from a healthier and safer marine environment. balanced.
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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