Sciaena submitted its contribution to the National Strategy for the Sea 2021-2030

The deadline for submitting contributions for the National Strategy for the Sea 2021-2030 ended yesterday, on National Sea Day. Sciaena, through PONG-Pesca, submitted its contribution, together with the other 7 NGOs that complete the Platform. 

PONG-Pesca believes that the final document will have a central role in the role and position that Portugal wants to assume in the next 10 years, since researchers show that have precisely this window of time to shift the negative trends in the loss of biodiversity and climate change. For these reasons, it is necessary that this is a strong and more ambitious strategy, specifically identifying what actions have to be taken to change the current state of our oceans, making them true allies in fighting the effects of climate change.

The Platform’s final analysis shows that it supports 73 measures, has reservations about 25 measures and is opposed to 5 (there are still 57 measures for which NGOs have no official position), and finally suggested the addition of 15 measures.

During its analysis, the Platform listed some of the most pressing points: – clarify, as much as possible, and have more ambitious goals, fully aligning them with EU requirements; – implement a moratorium on deep-sea mining that is in effect for at least the ENM period; – do not include Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) in the energy transition plans and develop a plan for the progressive elimination of this fossil fuel, as well as oil; – reinforce the monitoring of the implementation of the instruments of the Integrated Maritime Policy, as well as of marine fishery resources; – reinforce, with the allocation of human, logistical and financial resources, the effective control of human activities at sea; – classify at least 10% of marine waters under national jurisdiction as full protection (or strictly protected).

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