Azores ecoregion – Fisheries overview

Outdated: see link under 'Is obsoleted by'.

The majority of the fisheries in the Azores ecoregion are targeted by Azorean vessels. Only a small proportion of catch is taken by surface longliners from mainland Portugal and Spain targeting swordfish. The fisheries are classified as small scale, because around 60% of the vessels are less than nine metres in length and target many different species. The most important targets are tuna and tuna-like species, small pelagic species, and deep-water species. The most important fishing methods are surface longlining, live bait fishing, small purse-seining, and demersal mixed hook and line fishing. Fishing with bottom trawls is forbidden in the Azores Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Fisheries in the ecoregion are managed under the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), with some fisheries managed by the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC), the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), and national Portugal and regional Azores governments.

The status of the 12 stocks in this ecoregion assessed by ICES remain unknown. These stocks are considered as data limited and are managed following the precautionary approach (category 3–5 stocks).