Luanda - Angolan minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources Carmen do Sacramento Neto has recommended the sea users to get united in commitment to the rational and sustainable use of the oceans, with a view to protecting marine resources.
The minister launched the call while speaking to ANGOP on Tuesday, head of the World Maritime Day, celebrated annually in the last week of September.
Carmen do Sacramento Neto highlighted the awareness and environmental education of citizens, in general, and of maritime operators, in particular, as crucial factors for achieving healthy and productive oceans.
The minister called for strict compliance with the rules on the correct use of maritime space to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), defined by the United Nations and which gives priority to the use of seas and marine resources in a rational and preventive manner .
The sea users have also been urged to avoid and reduce any type of marine pollution to ensure the quality of life for current and future generations.
Future generation, essentially, rely on the sea as a source of livelihood and income for families, she said.
“The sea contributes significantly to the quality of life of citizens, as it is the source of food for thousands of people. For this reason, it is necessary that each user fulfills their responsibility at the local level, using environmentally friendly practices”, she warned.
As for the fishing activity in the country, Carmen do Sacramento Neto explained that the sector is in the restructuring phase, with its own legislation to regulate and supervise the actions of operators.
For the five-year period 2022/2027, the minister assured that the sector will work to bring the supply of fishing resources closer to the market demand, taking into account the existing potential of the extensive Angolan coastline.
In her first interview to ANGOP, the minister announced plans to speed up the salt industry and aquaculture activity, as well as the commitment to the blue economy as other challenges of the Fisheries sector, in the next five years.
With an extension of about 1,650 kilometers of coastline, located in the Atlantic Ocean, Angola records an annual catch that varies between 300,000 to 400,000 tons of diverse fish, while the country's needs are around 500,000 tons/year.
Celebrated in the last week of September each year, the World Sea Day serves to remember the need to protect the oceans and all species of animals, plants that make up marine ecosystems.
