2. Fleet Background 



The coastal fleets contrasted with Portugal's fleet 

 of modem high-seas vessels in the late 1960s and 

 early 1970s. The extension of fishery jurisdiction by 

 many countries to 200-miles and the loss of 

 Portugal's former African possessions disrupted the 

 growth of Portugal's fishing fleet and the fleet began 

 to decline in both number and catch, while growing 

 older. In 1986, Portugal joined the European 

 Community and efforts to modernize Portugal's 

 fisheries have begun to take effect. There is a great 

 deal of activity associated with modernizing 

 Portugal's fishing fleet. The Portuguese fishing fleet 

 consisted of 16,251 vessels registering 186,523-GRT 

 in 1990 and 14,866 vessels registering 183,306-GRT 

 on December 31, 1991.' 



Portugal's fishing fleet, the third largest in the 

 EC is an aging fleet. In 1990, there were 16,000 

 registered vessels including 14,000 vessels that 

 operated within 50 kilometers of the Portuguese 

 coastline (mostly under 9 meters in length). The 

 "coastal fleet" (Azores and Madera) consisted of 

 1,960 trawlers, purse seiners, and multi-purpose 

 vessels measuring over 9 meters, with a GRT not 

 exceeding 180-GRT, and powered by engines of over 

 25 kilowatts (kw)."* The coastal fleet fishes for 

 demersal and semi-pelagic species, such as hake, 

 pouting, and horse mackerel. This fleet also fishes 

 for shrimp and lobster. Purse seiners concentrate on 

 fishing for sardines, which account for half of 

 Portugal's trade in fishery products. Multi-purpose 

 vessels fishing for scabbardfish, octopus, hake, red 

 grouper, meagre, and seabass. The high-seas fleet 

 consists of approximately 108 vessels' which 

 traditionally operate in the North Atlantic (off 

 Norway and Svalbard), the Central Eastern Atlantic 

 (Morocco, Mauritania, and Guinea), and in the South 

 Atlantic (from Angola to South Africa). In recent 

 years, Portuguese high-seas vessels have begun 

 operating in the Falkland's fishing grounds.' The 

 catch peaked at 9,800 tons in 1988 (mostly hake) and 

 declined to 1,500 tons in 1992. Only two Portuguese 

 vessels, the Murtosa and the Pardelhas, are licensed 

 to fish in the Falkland's EEZ in 1993. 



One of the first high-seas trawlers built in 

 Portugal was the Santa Issuable (2,056-GRT) which 

 was launched by the Estaleiros Sao Jacinto of Aveiro 

 for Empresa de Pesca de Aveiro Ltda. in 1965. The 



vessel was built as a saltfish and a freezer stem 

 trawler for fishing off Labrador and Newfoundland, 

 Canada.' The Praia de Ericeira (1,138-GRT), 

 launched in 1967, was the first of five freezer 

 trawlers built to operate on the Atlantic hake grounds 

 off southern Africa.^ The Luis Ferreira de Carvalho 

 (2,389-GRT) was launched in 1969 as a freezer 

 trawler designed to fish for cod in the northwest 

 Atlantic' All of these vessels established Portugal as 

 a high-seas fishing nation able to build and operate 

 vessels over 2,000-GRT. By 1976, there were 13 of 

 these giant trawlers listed in Portugal's fleet. There 

 followed a period when many nations extended their 

 fisheries jurisdictions out to 200-miles. This 

 coincided with Portugal's loss of its colonies in 

 Africa and a major change in govemment that caused 

 tremendous dislocations in the country. It was during 

 this time that Portugal's high-seas fleet of 2,000-GRT 

 vessels gradually declined; by 1992 there were only 

 2 vessels in that range in Portugal's fishing fleet. In 

 1982, the Portuguese tuna superseiner, the Tunamar 

 (1 ,200-GRT) was launched by Campbell Industries of 

 the United States.'" The vessel was later reported 

 using a helicopter to search for tuna while fishing off 

 Cape Verde." By 1983, there were 24 firms 

 belonging to the Portuguese Long Distance Fleet 

 Association (ADAPLA).'' The year 1983 was 

 gloomy for many reasons, but the loss of the 

 lucrative cod fishing grounds off North America was 

 one key reason. Many Portuguese fishermen were 

 calling for the Govemment to allocate funds to scrap 

 these old vessels or to modemize the fleet.'' During 

 the next two years the Portuguese began negotiations 

 on entry into the EC and problems with access to 

 Spanish waters became a major problem for both 

 countries.'" When Portugal joined the EC on January 

 1, 1986, the fleet was described as "colorful, but 

 inefficient" and "unable to compete with the modem 

 efficiency and competition of its new neighbors. '^ 

 The EC announced that for the first 10 years of 

 membership, the renovation of the Portuguese fishing 

 fleet would receive priority.'* The newest vessel in 

 the Portuguese fishing fleet is the Iris Do Mar, built 

 in the Sao Jacinto shipyards in Portugal. The vessel 

 is 69 meters long (no tonnage figure available) and is 

 built to fish for cod and other demersal species in the 

 North Atlantic using Baader filleting equipment. The 

 vessel will have an endurance of 22,000 miles and 

 150 fishing days. The vessel was built using EC 

 grants and was expected to begin fishing in Febmary 

 1992." 



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