Environmental organisations call for a comprehensive ban on bottom trawling in the Dom Carlos Reserve
The public consultation on the creation of the marine protected area (MPA) covering approximately 173,000 square kilometres has concluded.

Latest news and stories about marine protection in Portugal for expats and residents.
The public consultation on the creation of the marine protected area (MPA) covering approximately 173,000 square kilometres has concluded.

António Lima, the sole BE deputy, states that “the Azores have everything to gain by leading this process.” The party will present proposals in the regional parliament to create marine protected areas.

The sole BE deputy in the Azorean parliament considered that “the Azores have everything to gain by leading this process.”


The agreement commits Lusophone countries to protect and conserve the marine environment in areas under their sovereignty and jurisdiction, as well as to cooperate with one another, according to the meeting's text.

Controversy over the effectiveness of the Azores Marine Protected Areas Network in an exchange of letters in the journal Science, focusing on the lack of protection for areas closest to the coast.

The proposal for the future marine protected area of the Gorringe and Madeira-Tore seamounts does not guarantee protection, as it allows the continuation of fishing methods such as longlining, says CNADS.

A revision of the ministerial order regulating the sea bream closed season was published this Friday in the Diário da República.

The Santa Cruz da Graciosa Town Council has signed a letter of commitment to create the Azores' first municipal surf ecosystem reserve, aiming for the 'protection and integrated management' of the island's natural resources.
After threats of backtracking, the Azorean Parliament on Thursday approved an amendment to a proposal that preserves the integrity of the largest marine protected area in the North Atlantic. An agreement between the Regional Government and the Socialist Party made the outcome possible.
Maria da Graça Carvalho emphasised that what was achieved by creating the Azores Network of Marine Protected Areas (RAMPA) was praised worldwide, and that this suggestion 'tarnishes' what was done.

The possibility of fishing for tuna using salto (jumping-hook) and rod-and-line methods in the Azores' protected areas is being debated in the regional parliament.
