Comité de Cogestão da Pesca do Polvo do Algarve approved by the Portuguese Parliament for sustainable fishing.

On March 31st, the Portuguese Parliament approved the creation and financing of the Comité de Cogestão da Pesca do Polvo do Algarve (Co-management Committee for the Algarve Octopus Fishery), with only one vote against the project. Despite the proposal not having the force of law, the organizations appeal to the Government to enforce it with the utmost urgency. On the table are years of work, studies, and projects developed to study and implement co-management and, more importantly, the future of the Algarve Octopus Fishery.

Co-management in fisheries: a new paradigm in Portuguese fisheries management.

The co-management in fisheries was defined by Decree-Law No. 73/2020 of September 23, as a "system of shared management of living resources and the means necessary for their capture and economic exploitation, which aims at the sustainable management of resources and the implementation of the principle of maximum mutual collaboration". This new form of management thus marks a new paradigm in the management of Portuguese fisheries resources, basing the decision-making mechanism on an inclusive, transparent, informed, and science-based participatory process in which everyone has a voice and a decision on the future of the activity. However, the fulfillment of the Co-management plans requires funding that is not contemplated by the legislation.

Collaborative efforts towards sustainability of Algarve Octopus Fishery.

Present were fishermen, representatives of Fishermen's Associations, researchers, and Non-Governmental Organizations that, since 2014, have been working together for the sustainability of this fishery. Since 2004, CCMAR has been working with the 15 Algarve octopus fishermen associations, first with the Tertúlia do Polvo project and more recently with the ParticiPESCA project. This last project aims to implement a co-management committee for the Algarve Octopus Fishery (documents produced within the project: Recommendations for the Future Co-management Committee and Proposal for the Management Plan of this fishery).