Researchers create route to take tourists on fishing for sardines – publico

                 

                         
                     

                 

 
                         

A group of researchers from the School of Tourism and Peniche Sea Technology created a route to take tourists to observe sardine fishing in the high seas. The project, dubbed “FishTour”, will be presented on Wednesday and aims to develop the economy of the sea.

                     

    � �                    John Costa, FishTour coordinator and teacher at that school, Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, explains that this is a project “innovative internationally,” because there are tours that take tourists to observe, at sea and a few meters away , traditional fishing practices, such as the art of fencing, and to know the traditions and culture of the fishing communities.

“FishTour” to be “a unique experience” for tourists, offering them a different day, starting with the viewing of a documentary about the sardine life cycles and their art of fishing, going for a ride at sea to observe the toil and ending in a restaurant to enjoy a typical gastronomic dish of sardines based.

The researchers believe that the “Fishtour” can create jobs linked to sustainable tourism or restoration and give new job opportunities for fishermen, that may be recruited to sail a boat, explaining the board Enclosure art techniques or report their experiences.

John Costa said that the project was presented to some companies, particularly those operating in Peniche maritime tourism activities, carrying tourists to the Berlenga or watching diving or fishing, “but none yet implemented” the idea.

The coordinator says that the route can be extended not only to the observation of the catch of other species by fencing or other fishing in Peniche coast sites Portuguese, from the Algarve coast to Matosinhos, communities that are dedicated to that kind of toil, like other traditional fisheries, such as tuna in the Azores.

Researchers John Costa, Francisco Dias, Nuno Almeida Mario Carvalho, Rui Pedrosa, Paulo Sérgio Leandro Maranhão and conceived the project brand image, produced the video documentary, to be aired on Wednesday created a site for the promotion of the product and the tourist reservations and developed a pilot study.

The 21 tourists, mostly foreigners, taken on board for researchers to test the idea, not only enjoyed the experience (65%), as demonstrated intention to to repeat (71%) and to recommend to friends (95%), according to recent surveys. The pilot study came to the conclusion that the tourist route sardine has a “high potential demand.”