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Azores Fisheries Research Group

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Portugal
Horta
Azores Fisheries Research Group

🔍 Stock & fisheries assessment — biology to socioeconomy
📍 Azores, Portugal |
👨‍🔬 Led by Prof.

Dr. Régis Santos
🐟 Science • Decision support

linktr.ee/azoresfisheries?utm_source=linktree_admin_share Com uma abordagem científica participativa, espera-se construir parcerias entre stakeholders e obter resultados que assegurem o uso sustentável dos recursos pesqueiros.

19/10/2026

📢 **WE’RE HIRING! 🔬🌊**

**Research Technician | COLAPA-3D Project**
📍 OKEANOS – University of the Azores, Faial Island

Want to combine marine science, cutting-edge technology and ocean conservation? 🌊

Join the **COLAPA-3D project**, where we bring together drone and underwater imaging, 3D photogrammetry, and the knowledge of local harvesters to support sustainable limpet fishery management in the Azores.

🔎 **What will you do?**
🚁 Conduct fieldwork using drones, snorkelling and underwater cameras
📸 Process images and build 3D models
📊 Manage, validate and analyse data
🤝 Support workshops with limpet harvesters and other stakeholders

🎓 **Who are we looking for?**
Candidates with an MSc in Marine Biology, Biology, Marine Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Oceanography, Geography or a related field.

Experience in fieldwork, drone operation and photogrammetry is a plus!

📅 **Contract:** 12 months, renewable
🌍 **International applicants are welcome!** Non-EU applicants are responsible for arranging their Portuguese work visa.

Ready to dive into this opportunity? 🤿

📩 Apply through the link in our bio!

20/09/2026

𝐏𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀 𝐏Ú𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐀 | 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐬 𝐏𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐬: 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐨, 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞 𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐨⁣
⁣
No próximo 24 de setembro, teremos o prazer de receber Prof. James R. Kahn, Professor Emérito de Economia e de Estudos Ambientais na Washington and Lee University (EUA) e Professor Colaborador da Universidade Federal do Amazonas (Brasil).⁣
⁣
Com uma carreira dedicada à economia ambiental e dos recursos naturais, economia das pescas, valoração económica e desenvolvimento sustentável, o Prof. Kahn tem desenvolvido investigação sobre as relações entre conservação, utilização dos recursos e desenvolvimento das comunidades que deles dependem, com particular experiência na Amazónia brasileira.⁣
⁣
Nesta palestra, propõe-se uma reflexão sobre o papel das pescas na economia, os desafios que marcam o presente e as perspetivas para uma gestão mais sustentável dos recursos e das comunidades piscatórias.⁣
⁣
📅 24 de setembro de 2026⁣
🕓 16h00⁣
📍 Auditório da Biblioteca Pública e Arquivo Regional João José da Graça — Horta, Faial⁣
⁣
𝐀 𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚 é 𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚 à 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐝é𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐞 𝐚𝐨 𝐩ú𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐨 𝐞𝐦 𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥.⁣
⁣
Contamos convosco! 🌊🐟⁣
⁣

19/09/2026

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝑰𝑪𝑬𝑺 𝑱𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝑺𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆!

This study represents an important step forward for the assessment of deep-water and demersal stocks in the Azores.

Using fishery-dependent data from 2003 to 2024 across 13 commercially important species, we evaluated a CPUE standardization approach that jointly accounts for targeting behaviour and spatial dependence — two processes that can strongly influence catch rates in multispecies fisheries.

The results show that accounting for these effects generally improves model performance, particularly for species with many zero catches, while also revealing clear, species-specific spatial patterns.

But the contribution goes beyond improving CPUE standardization.

For several Azorean stocks, the lack of robust abundance indices has been a major limitation for moving towards more quantitative stock assessments. The standardized indices produced in this work provide an important building block for applying analytical assessment models and, where data and model assumptions allow, progressing towards management based on biological reference points, including MSY-based approaches.

In this sense, the study helps bridge the gap between fishery-dependent data and quantitative stock assessment, strengthening the scientific basis for future monitoring and management of these resources.

🔗 Read the full article via the link in bio

17/09/2026

𝗨𝗺𝗮 𝗯𝗼𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗵𝗮́ 𝗺𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗶𝘅𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗿?
Nem sempre.

No artigo publicado no Correio dos Açores hoje, Régis Santos, Professor Auxiliar do Departamento de Oceanografia e Pescas da Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade dos Açores, aborda um dos desafios da avaliação dos recursos pesqueiros: a relação entre as capturas observadas e a verdadeira abundância dos stocks no mar.

Uma embarcação pode regressar ao porto com as caixas cheias, mesmo quando a abundância de uma população está a diminuir. A razão pode estar na forma como os peixes se distribuem, na capacidade de os encontrar e nas mudanças na eficiência da pesca, um fenómeno conhecido como hiperestabilidade. Comenta ainda sobre a importância de combinar diferentes fontes de informação para compreender a evolução dos stocks e avaliar a sustentabilidade das pescarias.

Leia o artigo completo no link da bio.

17/09/2026

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚?

Today, Professor Régis Santos took part in the 2nd Science and Technology Fair of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology – University of the Azores (FCT-UAc) with the talk “How many fish are there in the sea?”.

The talk explored a question that sounds simple but is surprisingly difficult to answer: how can we estimate the abundance of fish populations when we cannot see or count them all?

Through everyday analogies and examples from fisheries science, students were introduced to how ocean conditions, productivity, recruitment, fish distribution, fishing behaviour and scientific surveys all influence what we observe — and how we interpret those observations when assessing fish stocks.

The key message? Stock assessment is not simply about numbers and models. It is about interpreting signals from fish, fisheries and the ocean in which they interact.

A great opportunity to bring fisheries science closer to students starting their journey at FCT-UAc and to show that, when asking how many fish are in the sea, the answer is never just in the numbers. 🌊📊🐟

11/09/2026

𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

From the 1st to the 3rd of September, our researchers Morgan Casal-Ribeiro and Inês Carneiro presented their work at the 7th International Marine Science Communication Conference (CommOCEAN), in Bergen.

Morgan Casal- Ribeiro challenged scientists and communicators to reimagine the conventional scientific poster format through the workshop “Rethinking the static poster: dynamic, creative, and non-conventional approaches to science posters”, where, using interactive and dynamic elements, participants were able to develop new ideas for creating more engaging posters.

Meanwhile, Inês Carneiro presented a poster entitled “Listening, drawing, connecting: rebuilding fisheries dialogue in the Azores”, which highlighted how graphic recording can support communication and multilateral stakeholder dialogue within the Azorean fisheries context.

This conference was a unique opportunity to enhance communication skills in ocean sciences, with a variety of workshops that fostered a collaborative environment and insightful discussions on the latest trends in ocean research communication.

Participation in this conference was supported by OKEANOS, which is funded by national funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., under projects UIDB/05634/2025 and UIDP/05634/2025, and by the Regional Directorate for Science, Innovation and Development through the PROSCIENTIA Incentive System under project M1.1.A/FUNC.UI&D/014/2025.

07/08/2026

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐳𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬? 🌊

That question is at the heart of 𝑪𝑶𝑳𝑨𝑷𝑨-3𝑫 — 𝑳𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝒐-𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑳𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 3𝑫 𝑻𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒏𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑲𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆.

The project brings together 3D photogrammetry, drones and underwater imagery to create high-resolution digital reconstructions of coastal habitats and explore the distribution, size and population structure of limpets.

But technology is only part of the story.
COLAPA-3D also recognises something equally important: the knowledge held by the people who have observed these shores for years.

Through participatory workshops, limpet harvesters and scientists will work together to map ecological memory, interpret 3D models, identify meaningful indicators and co-create recommendations for monitoring and adaptive co-management. Because protecting coastal resources is not only about collecting more data. It is also about connecting different ways of knowing, building trust and making decisions together.

From the rocky shores of Faial to the wider Macaronesian region, COLAPA-3D aims to explore a new model for coastal monitoring: one that is digital, non-invasive, participatory and rooted in place.

A big thank you to the communities, researchers and partners who will make this shared process possible. 💙

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐶𝑂𝐿𝐴𝑃𝐴-3𝐷 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡 (𝑟𝑒𝑓. 𝑀𝐴𝑅-111.4.1-𝐹𝐸𝐴𝑀𝑃𝐴-00007) 𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐸𝑢𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒, 𝐹𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝐹𝑢𝑛𝑑 (𝐸𝑀𝐹𝐴𝐹), 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑅𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐺𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝑧𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑠, 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑀𝐴𝑅2030 𝑂𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑚𝑒.

03/08/2026

Our team, in collaboration with the Oceanography group, travelled to the westernmost islands of the Azores last week to conduct fieldwork as part of the *NAVEGA* and *COLAPA-3D* projects, continuing our efforts to better understand Azorean small-scale fisheries and coastal resources through close collaboration with local fishing communities. 🐟🎣

📍 *On Corvo Island*, we met with fishers using hook-and-line fishing gear to gain a deeper understanding of how these gears are operated, how practices differ between islands, how they have evolved over time, and how they are adapted to target different species. We also had the opportunity to speak with several limpet harvesters, whose local knowledge provided valuable insights into the current status of limpet populations around the island. 🎣🚤

📍 *On Flores Island*, we continued our interviews with hook-and-line fishers and carried out a pilot survey to assess the status of local limpet populations. This fieldwork combined drone-based mapping, environmental data collection, and snorkelling surveys in areas identified by local harvesters as being the most affected.🤿📝

Bringing together scientific methods and the knowledge of those who depend on the sea every day is essential for improving our understanding of these socioecological systems and supporting more informed and sustainable marine resource management in the Azores. 🔍🤝

A sincere thank you to all the fishers, limpet harvesters, and local partners who welcomed us and generously shared their time, experience, and knowledge.

This work is part of the *NAVEGA* project (ref. MAR-111.4.1-FEAMPA-00006) and *COLAPA-3D* project (ref. MAR-111.4.1-FEAMPA-00007), financed by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) through the Regional Government of the Azores under the MAR2030 Operational Programme.

29/06/2026

Last week, our researcher Inês R. Pereira presented the first chapter of her PhD at the AIR Centre’s International PhD Scholarships Programme annual meeting (24–25 June), joining a global community of scientists tackling some of the most pressing challenges facing the Atlantic Ocean and its coastal communities 🌊

Her work, developed at the Okeanos - University of the Azores, explores how value chain analysis can enhance fisheries management in small-scale fisheries. Focusing on the Azores, the study combines long-term fleet data with socio-economic insights to uncover strong disparities across islands and fishing segments, showing how different fleets experience very different economic realities.

The results highlight the limitations of one-size-fits-all management and reinforce the need for more spatially and socially differentiated governance approaches in EU outermost regions—where local context is key to achieving both economic resilience and ecological sustainability.

A valuable opportunity to exchange perspectives with researchers working across the Atlantic and polar regions, strengthening connections between diverse systems and shared ocean challenges.

This study was carried out within the scope of the NAVEGA project (ref. MAR-111.4.1-FEAMPA-00006), funded by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) through the Regional Government of the Azores under the MAR2030 Operational Programme, and the FISHSTAZ Monitoring Programme for the Status of Priority Marine Fish Stocks in the Azores, funded by the Regional Directorate for Fisheries of the Regional Secretariat for the Sea and Fisheries of the Government of the Azores.

12/06/2026

🐟🔬 Fieldwork is underway for Rafael Kulzer PhD project on alfonsino (Beryx decadactylus) and splendid alfonsino (B. splendens), aiming to improve our understanding of the population dynamics of these species in the Azores and across the Northeast Atlantic.

Currently, the project is focused on sample collection, a crucial first step that will provide the foundation for our future analyses supporting stock assessment work within ICES.

This effort relies on the collaboration of many colleagues and institutions. In the Azores, alongside the support of the fishing sector and public administration, sample collection is also being carried out during the Azorean annual bottom longline survey (ARQDAÇO-62-P26) onboard the R/V Arquipélago.

We look forward to sharing the journey and discoveries that lie ahead.

Endereço

Rua Professor Doutor Frederico Machado
Horta
9901-862

Website

facebook.com

Notificações

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