The environmental NGO Zero launched the SOS Mar dos Açores campaign against the regional PS proposal to permit salto e vara fishing in protected marine areas, warning that it is a “decisive moment” for the archipelago.
In a statement, the association also appeals to the “political decision-makers to drop the proposal for the third amendment to Regional Legislative Decree n.º 28/2011/A, of 11 November,” presented by the PS, which aims to permit salto e vara fishing (an artisanal method that allows catching tuna on the surface with live bait) in protected marine areas.
Zero considers that the PS initiative, which is due to be discussed in January at the Regional Assembly, “undermines conservation objectives” and “weakens the Azores’ contribution to national and international marine conservation targets.”
“Allowing salto e vara fishing in these zones compromises ecological integrity, makes enforcement difficult – given that most of the fleet operates with multiple licenses –, puts Portugal’s international commitments at risk and weakens decisions based on scientific evidence,” it argues.
The association also calls on civil society to mobilize in defense of the Azores Network of Marine Protected Areas (RAMPA), which establishes the protection of 30% of the archipelago’s sea, of which half corresponds to strictly protected areas.
“This development of enormous significance places Portugal in a position to protect approximately 18% of national marine protected areas, with about 10% under full protection — a very expressive increase compared with the 4.5% previously protected, where full protection was almost residual,” notes the statement.
Zero says it fully recognizes the social, economic and cultural relevance of fishing in the Azores, but notes that creating fully protected zones also benefits the sector, as they “function as ecological recovery areas,” contributing to the “sustainability of fishing in the medium and long term.”
The association also argues that the future of salto e vara fishing “does not depend on expanding the area of operation, but rather on valuing its selectivity” and on the “commercial differentiation of low-impact catches.”
“This is, therefore, a decisive period in which civil society can still influence the legislative process. The SOS Mar dos Açores campaign is a call to action: fully protecting the RAMPA’s total-protection zones is an investment simultaneously in the region’s ecological, economic and social resilience,” reads the statement.
The SOS Mar dos Açores campaign is available on the Internet (sosmar.zero.ong) and allows automatically sending an email to the Azorean parliament deputies requesting the rejection of the proposal presented by the PS.
The Azores Parliament approved, in October 2024, the Azorean Government’s proposal (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM) which establishes the creation of protected marine areas in 30% of the archipelago’s sea, with votes in favor from PSD, CDS-PP, PPM, PS and BE, the abstention of PAN and votes against from Chega and IL.
RAMPA should have come into force on 30 September, but the deadline was postponed to early 2026, with PS/Açores presenting a proposal to permit salto e vara fishing in protected zones.
The leader of the Regional Government, the social-democrat José Manuel Bolieiro, has already called on the Socialists to withdraw the initiative.
