MARE researchers sign correspondence, published in Nature, warning for fishing activities in the Nature Reserve of Selvagens, in Madeira

Published on August 27 in Nature, led by National Geographic Resident Explorer Enric Sala and signed by around 300 researchers, including several MARE researchers, this correspondence warns about Madeira's Regional Government's decision to open the Selvagens Islands Nature Reserve for commercial fishing of tuna.

As the largest fully protected marine area in Europe, expanded in 2021 to 2,677 square kilometers, the Selvagens Islands Nature Reserve, in the autonomous region of Madeira, Portugal, is one of the last intact marine ecosystems in the Northern Atlantic Ocean. However, as highlighted in the open letter now published in Nature, a decision by regional authorities to reverse the commitment to ban fishing within the reserve puts all the efforts made to expand this protected marine area at risk . "By exploiting a legislative provision allowing biological samples to be collected for research, as of 12 July the authorities are permitting fishing for tuna in the reserve, with 90% of the catch to be sold commercially," can be read in the correspondence.

João Monteiro, a MARE researcher, comments on the justification provided by the Regional Government, stating, "If the goal is to carry out such fishing sampling and monitoring, then this monitoring must be done outside the reserve."

João Canning-Clode, coordinator of MARE-Madeira, highlights the international concern about the situation in Madeira and Portugal. In an interview to television broadcaster RTP3, he states, "This measure is taken in counter-cycle, at a time when Portugal is committed to reach the goal of 30% Natural Reserve areas by 2030, and it contradicts the recently approved Nature Restoration Law. This could jeopardize the fully protected status that has been achieved over the years."

Link : https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02754-2