The Minister of the Sea, Ana Paula Vitorino, has said she is very satisfied with the 2016 fishing quota agreement reached in Brussels and considering it 'a good result for Portugal' taking into account the original cuts proposed.
Vitorino achieved an overall increase of 11.4% in its 2016 quota for national waters.
"We achieved a good result for Portugal compared to the start point which was very bad indeed. The overall result was to satisfy the traditional fisheries sector, and to guarantee environmental sustainability," said the new minister.
Vitorino said the original proposal on the table was for a decrease of 61% for hake, amended to 25%, for monkfish there now is a reduction of 10% instead of the 19% proposed and an overall increase across all fish types of 11.4%.
The fishing industry considers the agreement on the new fish quotas as "positive" and are "reassured and satisfied" with the efforts of the new Minister of the Sea.
The Association of Industrial Fishing Boat Owners (ADAPI) praised the work of the government at the meeting in Brussels that defined the fish quotas for next year, "We were reassured and pleased with the work of the minister, who had the good sense to meet with us in advance to prepare and understand the issues at stake and then fight for them," said Pedro Jorge, the president of ADAPI.
The Council of Ministers of Fisheries for the EU had a long meeting - Monday morning to Tuesday evening - with Ana Paula Vitorino batting hard for Portugal whose fishing fleet now can land 63.5 million tonnes of fish next year.
For Pedro Jorge, the feeling among his members is one of optimism for next year, with "important victories” having been gained by a minister who, early on, has the trust and appreciation of the sector she represents.
