Candidatura Reserva da Biosfera - Santana Madeira Biosfera

Fishing
Policies set by the regional authorities in the field of fisheries and marine resources,
were conspicuous by their exclusion of low selectivity fishing methods, which are
extremely harmful to the balance and maintenance of local fish stocks, but also by
strengthening the monitoring of economic activities carried out within the territorial
waters the region. The balance between maintaining fisheries and stocks were sustained
through the adjustment of the fleets and fishing gear available resources of fish species
caught commercially. The regional fishing fleet for black scabbard fish, tuna fish and
other commercial fish has 408 vessels. These vessels use lines and trotlines, angling gear
that enable good selectivity, low mortality of species of no commercial interest
preventing the capture of small dimensions fishes due to the size of the hook. In the case
of catching tuna fleet, the technique used is jump and stick, a sustainable ancestral
technique which is based on the use of a stick with one line per angler, allowing the shoal
escape. Only the small fish catching fleet like sardines and mackerel, with a total of 44
boats are allowed to use seines, a method highly selective for the target species, whose
mesh size is regulated to allow the escape of smaller specimens. Including related
activities such as manufacturing, the fisheries sector employs about 1.5% of the
population.
In relation to the nominal catch of fish unloaded at auction in the region in 2008,
the black scabbard fish was the most downloaded about 3100 tons, followed by tuna with
about 2,500 tons, horse mackerel, mackerel and sardines with about 650 tons and
commercial fish with about 300 tons. The species with lower volume of discharges are
the conger eel and squid with 6 tons and 2 tons respectively.
The exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the region is approximately 110,000 square
nautical miles and is characterized by the absence of a platform, being the main points of
fishing seamounts or fishing grounds, which rise from the abyssal plain at 4000 meters
average depth, where the bulk of the regional fleet is engaged. In the coastal zone, only
a few small vessels developed craft activity, mainly with the use of angling capture
techniques catch species considered as commercial as the snappers, mullet, groupers,
and sea breams.
116 Application of Santana, Madeira to Biosphere Reserve – UNESCO - MAB