A vessel that was illegally engaged in recreational fishing in the Desertas Islands Nature Reserve was detected yesterday by the team of the Nature Watchmen who were in service in that area.
This surveillance and inspection action resulted in the apprehension of all the fish found on board, having been transported to the services of the Regional Fisheries Directorate, in Funchal, with the purpose of assessing their condition and deciding their destination Final.
The Regional Secretary for Environments, Natural Resources and Climate Change recalls that “the Desertas Islands Nature Reserve has a total area of 12586 hectares, delimited by the 100 meter bathymetry. Through the total protection status, the ecosystems of the entire terrestrial area (Ilhéu Chão, Deserta Grande, Bugio and islets) and the entire adjacent marine area located south of Ponta da Doca, to the west, and Ponta da Fajã Grande, are protected, east ”. Thus, “in this total protection area, access for people and boats is prohibited, with the exception of access to Doca bay, established as an authorized anchorage”.
The administrative proceeding resulting from this seizure will follow normal procedural steps.