Regional Secretariat for the Sea and Fisheries condemns proposal threatening integrity of Marine Protected Areas Network and Region's reputation - Communication

Secretaria Regional do Mar e das Pescas

The Regional Government, through the Regional Secretariat for the Sea and Fisheries, publicly declares its deep dissatisfaction and concern with the recent proposal presented by the Socialist Party (PS), which intends to change the Azores Marine Protected Areas Network (RAMPA) to allow pole-and-line tuna fishing in fully protected areas. 

This initiative represents a significant step backwards in the protection of the Region's marine resources. It jeopardises the commitments made by the Region and the country to environmental conservation and the sustainability of marine ecosystems at an international level.

By international standards, marine protected areas are incompatible with any kind of extraction activity. They were created with the purpose of protecting sensitive ecosystems and guaranteeing the natural regeneration of marine species, contributing to ecological balance and the long-term sustainability of fisheries. In other words, marine protected areas are in the interests of the fishing industry. 

It is important to note that RAMPA provides, in addition to fully protected areas, high-protection areas where pole-and-line fishing is permitted. 

As pole-and-line fishing is only banned in fully protected areas (the only ones designated as "Reserves"), the impact on the tuna fleet is practically non-existent. In recent years, the registries of these vessels, which have positioning systems (AIS or MONICAP), show that the use of future reserves is residual. Only the Formigas reserve has seen some activity, where the highest percentage of use, by one vessel, has not reached 10% of the annual fishing effort.

Although pole-and-line fishing is quite sustainable and targeted, it is not accurate to say that it has no impact on fishing stocks. Fishing for large predators such as tuna, which feed on smaller pelagic fish, squid (cephalopods) and crustaceans, produces changes in the entire food chain, causing imbalances in populations throughout the ecosystem. In turn, tuna is also prey for sharks and marine mammals, and its complex interactions with seabirds, whale sharks and marine mammals are well-known. Therefore, tuna fishing in fully protected marine areas is not only introducing changes to the tuna population specifically but also having an effect on the entire ecosystem.

As such, the PS proposal directly jeopardises conservation goals by allowing fishing activities, even selective ones, within these areas.

The Azores have been recognised internationally as an example in the conservation and sustainable management of marine resources. The implementation of the new RAMPA has put the Region at the forefront of ocean protection, aligning it with global targets set by initiatives such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One of the main goals is to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030, ensuring that a portion is dedicated to full conservation.

The PS proposal not only jeopardises regional efforts but also the Azores' international credibility as a leader in marine protection. Changing the rules of the full reserve areas to accommodate specific interests shows a flexibilisation of environmental policies to the detriment of conservation, undermining the commitments made to international partners and environmental organisations.

Furthermore, RAMPA currently benefits from financial support amounting to more than 10 million Euros over the next five years, guaranteed by the protocol between the Regional Government and its partners in the Blue Azores programme. This funding, crucial for the effective implementation of marine protected areas, is jeopardised if the integrity of RAMPA is breached. Alongside this funding, the Environmental Fund is expected to offset the loss of income arising from RAMPA, with a sum of 1.5 million Euros available for 2025 having already been published (Order No. 3495-C/2025 of March 19, published in the Oficial Gazette, No. 55, Supplement, Series II, of March 19, 2025). Likewise, changing the criteria for the network will jeopardise this support mechanism, compromising the necessary compensation granted to vessels fishing for bottom species.

Traditional pole-and-line fishing has historically been a respected practice in the Azores, and internationally recognised for its sustainability. However, it must be conducted outside full reserve areas to ensure that these zones continue to play their ecological role. The value of Azorean tuna will be greater if the Region demonstrates the capacity to develop environmentally responsible practices in marine areas that are managed under internationally recognised conservation standards.

The Regional Government reiterates its commitment to the sustainable management of marine resources and the full implementation of the new RAMPA. The creation of these zones was widely discussed in public consultation, with scientific experts, representatives of the fisheries sector and non-governmental organisations throughout a participatory process that ensured a balance between environmental conservation and economic development.

The initiative presented by PS, without any scientific basis or public consultation, a few months after the approval of the law, and with the same proposal that had already been rejected in October, distorts an entire process that has been developed by the interested parties. In addition to this incoherence, the justification for the urgency of the initiative is the beginning of the tuna harvest, which started in March, when the said legal document only comes into force by the end of September.

Also from a strictly legal perspective, the PS proposal could be unconstitutional, as it is based on scientifically false facts. It could further weaken the Region's position with the Constitutional Court in the context of the so-called Law of the Sea.

This proposal is reminiscent of the actions of the XXIII National Government, led by PS, which put forward a bill that was the second amendment to the so-called Law of the Sea, even more, centralist than the one currently in force, which included the classification of marine protected areas in the concept of a national maritime spatial planning instrument. It removed a competence that unquestionably belongs to the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, in light of the Political-Administrative Statute of the Autonomous Region of the Azores. This competence has long been part of the specific list of legislative competences conferred on the autonomous regions. While it is true, fortunately, that this bill lapsed with the end of the XV Legislative Period, it should not be forgotten that the bill was approved in general, with PS voting in favour, the Chega, PCP, Livre parties and the socialist MPs representing the Region abstaining, and the PSD, IL, BE and PAN voting against.

The Regional Secretariat for the Sea and Fisheries calls on PS to reconsider this proposal in light of the negative impacts it could generate. It would be crucial for PS to refocus its position on the recent past, when in 2019, as the party heading the Regional Government, it signed the Blue Azores Memorandum of Understanding committing to the creation of 15% of fully protected marine protected areas (without exceptions).

All political parties must realise the strategic importance of marine protected areas for the Region's environmental, economic and social future.

Amendments to the rules governing these areas must be carefully assessed based on scientific criteria and not motivated by one-off interests or sectoral pressures.