Luanda - The minister for Fishing and Marine Resources, Carmen Sacramento Neto, said Friday in the Republic of Panama that the Angolan government intends to promote an environmentally sustainable, resource-efficient, innovative and competitive fishing in the country, based on knowledge.
Carmen Sacramento Neto said that, to this end, it is in the pipeline the implementation of a strategy leading to the development of blue economy which requires a systemic view of development process at local and national levels, as well as the need to share rights, responsibilities and power with coastal communities, particularly regarding artisanal fishing.
According to a press release ANGOP had access to, the Angolan minister, who was speaking in one of the panels on the responsibility of sustainable fishing during the “8th World Conference on Oceans”, also said that it was urgent to make sustainable fishing a global reality.
“Fighting overfishing represents a mutual benefit for us and for the planet. By conserving our marine resources, we allow more people to have access to the protein they need for a healthy outlook”, stressed the minister.
She noted that more effective fisheries management would enable the recovery of stocks and ecosystems, increasing the quantity of fish resources in a sustainable and permanent manner.
According to data from the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, the fisheries and aquaculture subsector provides significant employment, especially in the field of artisanal fisheries.
It is estimated that 150,000 people earn their livelihood from fisheries. At least 45,000 people live directly from marine fisheries and another 82,000 are employed in support activities to fisheries and aquaculture.
In many coastal areas, about 50% of the population depends directly or indirectly on fishing for their livelihoods. Over 90% of employment is in small-scale fishing. Women account for up to 80% of those involved in artisanal processing and marketing.
The annual oceans conference, which brings together representatives of governments, the private sector, international bodies, non-governmental organisations, academics and scientists, is being attended by its mentor, former US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is attending as envoy of Joe Biden´s administration.
John Kerry warned that human action threatens the very ability of ocean ecosystems to survive.
The Angolan delegation to the 8th Conference on Oceans, is made up by the Angolan ambassador to Cuba and Panama, Maria Cândida Pereira Teixeira, the Marine Affairs director, Tânia Barreto, the deputy director of the Office of the minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources, Sandra Pinheiro, and the minister´s advisor, Reis Jamba, as well as diplomats from the Angolan Embassy in Havana, Cuba.
