In recent days, the Coastal and Border Control Unit, through the Coast Guard Group and the Surveillance and Support Group, seized 68 fishing pots and a longline, the GNR revealed in a statement today.
“This operation underscores the guard’s contribution to preserving marine biodiversity and safeguarding coastal ecosystems, aligning with the goals of the European Strategy for Marine Protected Areas 2020-2030 and national environmental conservation commitments,” the GNR stated.
The operation involved resources from the Coast Guard Group, with two boats, various teams from the Environmental Protection Units in Lisbon, Figueira da Foz, and Sines, and the Surveillance and Support Group.
The action was conducted in collaboration with the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests and the Directorate-General for Maritime Policy.
The archipelago was classified as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in 2011, has been a nature reserve since 1981, a Site of the Natura 2000 Network since 1997, and was designated as a Special Protection Area for Wild Birds in 1999.
It is noted for its biodiversity, with coastal and underwater habitats, rare endemic species like the ‘Armeria berlengensis,’ and protected seabird populations such as the razorbill, the shearwater, and the European shag.
