The Regional Secretariat of the Sea, Science and Technology, replied to the criticisms made by Mr Faial Luis Garcia who report an alleged failure of the Regional Government investment in aquaculture.
In a statement issued by the Secretariat can read the following:
1. The Government of the Azores, since 2008, has facilitated the creation of aquaculture projects in the region through various initiatives, including seminars about this activity, opening up co-funded program of measures to support the development of Fisheries and Aquaculture in the Azores and the creation of a framework that defined the legal framework Aquaculture in the Azores.
2. The Government of the Azores has supported several research projects at the University of the Azores in the area of aquaculture, including barnacles production experience, limpets, clams, dumb lapa and octopuses, have been under these experiences that pond Faja de Santo Cristo was repopulated successfully with clam.
3. The Government of the Azores granted financial support AQUALAB, one based laboratory in the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries of the University of the Azores, which is intended for research in Aquaculture and support the development of this activity in the region.
This laboratory is included in the database Eurocean -. Experimental and European Aquaculture Research Facilities
4. Recently, in July this year, the University of the Azores presented a study mapping the potential with areas for aquaculture in the region, funded by the Regional Government, and which will be available free of charge to entrepreneurs who want to invest in this activity in the region.
5. The amounts entered in the Budget Plan of the Azores between 2009 and 2015 which provided support for Aquaculture have always been included in the Action “Manufacturing and Aquaculture”.
Thus, the funds referred to by Deputy Luis Garcia, PSD / Azores, quoted in these stories, were intended to fish processing and aquaculture, and the funds were applied mainly within the fish processing, supporting regional canning sector, which employs 700 people in the region that presents an annual turnover of 50.2 million euros.
6. Yet it is noted that the proposal of the Government to change the Regional Legislative Decree approving the Azores Autonomous Region budget for 2015, approved by the Legislative Assembly, facilitates the installation of aquaculture units throughout the islands, the reduce to 200 thousand euros the minimum investment required for the projects in production units in the areas of Marine Biotechnology and Aquaculture to have access to tax benefits on a contractual basis regardless of the island where they are installed.
7. The Regional Secretary of the Sea, Science and Technology reiterates the statements published on May 17, 2015 in the regional press, in which states that “today the production in Aquaculture now exceeds the extractive fishing, is the food-processing sector for further growth worldwide and therefore the Azores can not close our eyes to this industry, “and condemns misrepresentation of these statements made by Representative Luis Garcia, PSD / Azores in the debate on the matter at the Regional Legislative Assembly, which cited incorrectly in order to get a misinterpretation.
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