Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal, Sept. 17, 2025 (Lusa) - The Azores regional Socialist Party bill to allow tuna fishing in the archipelago's new marine protected areas is unconstitutional, argued Armando Rocha, professor at the Faculty of Law of the Portuguese Catholic University, on Wednesday.
"I believe this bill is unconstitutional and, from a scientific point of view, I must say that all the scientists I have spoken to about this issue, even though they have no connection to this process, are clear in saying that in a total protection zone there can be no fishing activity," said the lawyer, speaking today at the Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, Environment and Sustainable Development of the regional Azores Parliament, meeting in Ponta Delgada.
The professor at the Catholic University was heard regarding a proposal presented by the Socialist Party (PS) in the Azorean parliament, which advocates the creation of an exception to the ban on fishing in the new marine protected areas, for fishermen and tuna boat owners to use ‘pole and line’ fishing, considered a “selective” and "environmentally friendly" technique.
"I made an effort to question those who were not involved in this process, but who are in the field of marine biology, and the answer I was given is that pole and line fishing is not sustainable, it is a myth. It is not true that it is more sustainable from the point of view of resource conservation," he pointed out.
In October, the Azores regional parliament approved a bill from the PSD/CDS-PP/PPM coalition regional government that increases the Azores' marine protected areas to 30% (15% partial protection and 15% total protection), anticipating the environmental preservation measures proposed by the European Union.
The entry into force of the new legislation, initially scheduled for 1 October, has since been postponed to 1 January 2026.
At the hearing, the lawyer also considered that creating marine protected areas that are not total reserves, as the socialists are now proposing, would have the immediate consequence of losing EU support to compensate for the loss of income for fishermen.
"The level of total protection would disappear, which means that, from a scientific point of view, the prerequisite for the creation of a marine protected area would also disappear, not only from the point of view of resource protection, but also from an economic point of view," he stressed.
Armando Rocha also warned MPs that any "setback" in marine protection in the archipelago would also "penalise" the Azores' external image with the EU authorities.
"The autonomous region's position is increasingly vulnerable in terms of environmental protection, and this draft amendment makes the Azores' position even more vulnerable with regard to the exploitation of marine resources adjacent to the region," the lawyer stressed.
The Catholic University professor also called on the Azorean political sector to view this marine protection process as an "opportunity for the future" for the region and not as a "penalty" for professionals in the fisheries sector.
RF/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
