The collapse of fisheries in the Azores, which seems increasingly evident in the data now released by SREA (the Regional Statistics Service of the Azores)—and which has also been foreshadowed in recently published academic studies—demands deep, holistic reflection, free from prejudice, hesitation, or convenient restraints.
As researchers are beginning to make clear—and as, fortunately, their findings are increasingly reaching the public—the Azores must seriously consider where the proper balance lies between exploiting and preserving their natural resources. For many years, researchers, whose warnings have not always been heard, have cautioned that the seas surrounding the Azores are not as rich in fish stocks as was once believed. It now appears that we may be approaching critical thresholds for certain stocks, after decades marked by too many misguided decisions.
At the same time, far greater attention must be paid to the so-called marine reserves. Reserves are necessary, but they must exist to ensure that fish stocks can regenerate. They should not be created merely so that we may look virtuous in the eyes of God knows whom, much less so that we can add to the tally of quotas through which Europe continues to exert pressure upon those who wait for European funds like chicks waiting for corn—that is, with their mouths open. If we continue down that road, we risk creating a class of fishermen who will be fishermen in professional classification alone, swelling the ranks of those who survive on social support, whether direct or indirect. There is no future along such a path—unless fishing itself is eventually replaced by fish-watching, which seems doubtful.
The tension between exports and local consumption is another matter demanding serious reflection, because Azoreans—we ourselves—cannot be deprived of the right to consume the fish caught in Azorean waters. Nor should that fish become a luxury beyond the reach of the very people whose islands and seas sustain it. Azoreans must have access to fish at reasonable prices, rather than the exorbitant prices we have increasingly witnessed. Tourism adds yet another layer of pressure, driving prices higher while placing still greater demands on consumption. All very “good” things—the irony should be obvious—that ought to compel political decision-makers to adopt measures which, unfortunately, they are unlikely to take: reserving portions of fishing quotas for local consumption, establishing regulated prices, and imposing conditions on exports, among other possibilities.
At the same time, we must learn to look at the sea with eyes that truly see. Marine reserves should be strategically designed around the regeneration of fish stocks—the Condor Bank offers a good example. The Azores must resist cosmetic solutions that accomplish little beyond creating the appearance of environmental virtue, perhaps bringing in a few coins—if even that—in the short or medium term. The sea is too important to become a stage upon which policies are performed rather than a living inheritance responsibly protected.
Finally, someone will have to explain, in considerable detail, what purpose is served by persecuting those who fish from the rocks. Most of these fishermen are simply trying to catch enough fish to feed their families. Are they truly responsible for the collapse of Azorean fisheries? Or does pursuing them merely make it still more difficult for many families to put food on the table?
Or have the fishermen on the rocks simply become the most convenient of scapegoats?
Editorial from Tuesday, August 25, 2026, in Diário Insular. Photo from the Facebook page of Junta de Freguesia de São Mateus da Calheta.