In a move to ensure the Socialist Party hauls in fishing sectors votes in the October 1st round of local elections, a bumper 4,760 tonne sardine quota has been announced.
The Minister of the Sea, Ana Paula Vitorino, has dismissed as "unthinkable" the 2018 'sardine fishing ban' proposal from the EU’s scientific advisors and has announced the 'bonus catch allowance' to cover the industry to the year-end
According to the official announcement, the Portuguese quota of 4,760 tonnes to December 31st, is in addition to the 6,800 tonne quota authorised to July 31st.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Government stated that the quota to the year-end is a consequence of "a responsible approach to resource management and precautionary principles" and that the 2017 quota, shared with Spain, is what was agreed with the EU."
The sardine row over next year's quota has not yet started between Portugal and Brussels as this are not set until October each year, after the scientific monitoring of fish stocks has been analysed and the politicians sit around the table in Brussels.
This year’s quota for Portugal was 70% up on last year’s when just 6,800 tonnes were landed, causing fear among consumers that price hikes and supply shortages would become the norm.
