July figures reveal a dramatic contraction in fish reaching Azorean auction houses, while scarcity pushed the average price per kilogram up more than 43%

The Azorean fishing sector experienced a sharp contraction in July, with the volume of fish landed at the archipelago’s auction houses falling by 60.8% compared with June, according to data from the Regional Statistics Service of the Azores (SREA), based on information provided by Lotaçor.

A total of approximately 1,344.4 metric tons of fish was landed during the month, generating commercial sales of around €5.5 million. The decline in volume was accompanied by a 10.1% decrease in sales value compared with June. On a year-over-year basis, the figures were also markedly lower: landings fell 4.9% compared with July 2025, while the value of sales declined 43.8%.

Yet amid the steep reduction in the amount of fish reaching the market, another figure moved dramatically in the opposite direction. The average price of landed fish rose 43.1% compared with July 2025, reaching €4.05 per kilogram. Compared with June, however, the average price declined by 5.4%.

The figures reveal the delicate economics of an activity that has shaped island life for centuries. When the sea delivers less to the auction houses, the consequences travel quickly from fishing vessels to buyers, restaurants and family tables. A decline in landings is therefore more than a statistical movement: in an archipelago whose history has always been inseparable from the Atlantic, it is a measure of how scarcity at sea can reverberate throughout the island economy.

Fish overwhelmingly dominated July’s landings, accounting for 1,274.6 tons—94.8% of the total volume and 83.8% of the value of all sales. Mollusks ranked a distant second, with 68.5 tons, representing 5.1% of volume and 15.8% of value. Crustaceans accounted for only around 1,256 kilograms, equivalent to 0.1% of the volume and 0.3% of the value.

The geographical distribution of the landings also illustrates the different weight of fishing activity across the nine islands. São Miguel accounted for the largest share, with 39% of all fish landed and 36.5% of total sales value. Santa Maria followed with 21.6% of volume, although it accounted for only 9.9% of value. Faial represented 17% of volume and 16.4% of sales value.

Terceira was responsible for 7.6% of the volume landed but 15.8% of the commercial value—a disparity suggesting a substantially higher average price for its catch than on several other islands. São Jorge accounted for 7.2% of volume and 6.2% of value, while Pico represented 5.1% and 7.5%, respectively. Graciosa and Flores accounted for much smaller portions, while Corvo represented only 0.3% of volume and 1.1% of value.

Perhaps the most revealing differences emerge in the average price received per kilogram. Corvo recorded the highest figure in the archipelago at €14.87 per kilogram, followed by Flores at €14.55 and Graciosa at €10.24. Terceira averaged €8.45 per kilogram, while Pico stood at €5.97. Prices were lower in Faial (€3.92), São Miguel (€3.80) and São Jorge (€3.53). Santa Maria recorded the lowest average price, at only €1.86 per kilogram.

These contrasts underline how misleading a single regional figure can sometimes be. The same Atlantic surrounds all nine islands, but the economic realities of fishing vary considerably according to species, catches, local fleets and the composition of what arrives at each auction house.

July’s numbers ultimately tell a story of less fish and less revenue, accompanied by considerably higher prices than a year earlier. For an island economy, these are not merely percentages on a statistical table. They are signals from one of the oldest relationships in Azorean history—the relationship between people and the sea, where abundance and scarcity have always determined far more than what reaches the shore.

Based on a story in Diário Insular-José Lourenço-director. Photos from DI.