According to the Azorean government, the Regional Secretariat for the Sea and Fisheries, through the Regional Directorate of Fisheries, has secured an additional 425 tons of bigeye tuna from the Republic government. This adds to the 2,500 tons available for the year 2025.
The Azorean government states in a press release that this is the result of joint efforts by the governments of the two autonomous regions after weeks of negotiations, culminating in excellent news for fishing industry professionals in the Azores, who specialize in pole-and-line tuna fishing.
The Regional Government notes that this year, for the first time, an understanding agreement has been in effect since January 1 between the two autonomous regions, primarily aimed at promoting sustainability in the sector.
The same operating rules were adopted by the tuna fleets of the Azores and Madeira, which has allowed for an extended fishing period, according to the Azorean government.
The Azorean government emphasizes that this management has enabled the average price at the first sale in auction to increase by approximately 0.48 euros this year in the Azores.
On October 22, 2024, Portugal advocated in Luxembourg for an increase to 73,000 tons concerning bigeye tuna captures and for a specific quota to be established for the Azores and Madeira.
“We advocate for an increase in the total allowable catch (TAC) for bigeye tuna to 73,000 tons and the allocation of a specific quota for the outermost regions (RUP), which have very artisanal fleets,” said the Secretary of State for Fisheries, Cláudia Monteiro de Aguiar, at the time.
