SIPAM - PORTUGAL


LOCALIZATION

SIPAM National Centre is based in the General Directorate for Fisheries and Aquaculture (DGPA) in Alcântara (Lisboa).

Located on Tagus river shore, near the bridge "25 de Abril", is not far from the center of Lisbon. The easiest way to reach DGPA is by train from the Cais do Sodre train station.

By taxi is 15 minutes far from the airport, but alternatively it is possible to take a Aerobus that is a connecting service between Lisbon airport, the City centre and Cais do Sodré train station (Estoril/Cascais train lines). (For further information http://www.carris.pt/)


ADRESS
Edifício Vasco da Gama, http://www.dg-pescas.pt/
Alcântara Mar - 1350
Lisboa - Portugal
Telf: +351.1.3919902
Fax: +351.1.3979790/1



GENERAL DIRECTORATE FOR FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE

ASSIGNMENTS AND COMMITMENTS:
General Directorate for Fisheries and Aquaculture is a service integrated in the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, empowered with the administrative autonomy, whose main assignments are to promote and regulate the exploitation of sea living resources in all its features. Designing and implementing technical grounds for the sustained use of resources, the arrangement of fishery activities and other production systems and the continuity of fishery activities - considered as a cluster formed by fishery, aquaculture, manufacturing industry and related activities, GDFA intends to contribute for the definition of its industry policy.


So it is for GDFA:

  • To support the Government in defining the national fishery policy in all its aspects: domestic, Community and international co-operation.
  • To guarantee and ensure the follow-up of national policy implementation, promoting the preparation of programs and required instruments.
  • To ensure a suitable exploitation of sea living resources available in the areas u licences to production structures and activities in domains such as sea fishery, aquaculture, sea salt extraction and sea harvests, as well as in the fields of processing industry and fishery products packing (whenever this competence is assigned).
  • To ensure the industry planning and provide technical support to regional planning, tailoring the production and sale structures of fish caught to the objectives of Government policy and of the Common Fisheries Policy. This competence should be duly articulated with domestic and Community bodies and services, which are competent in this area.
  • To organise and communicate the projects and procedures of production investment, namely in what concerns the national and Community aids to fishery industry.
  • In the context of Section Guarantee of European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund, GDFA should ensure the publishing of measures taken, admission of applications, training, approval and deliver to competent service on the Ministry, for the purposes of payment to beneficiaries of processes related to financial aids and other supports from that Fund.
  • To ensure the role of prevention and pre-litigious of economic agent compliance with obligations derived from the granting of financial assistance, either national or European, taking into account the national and Community law and in conjunction with Ministry services competent in those matters.
  • To inform Community laws, national rules and regulations concerning fishery industry, following up closely its compliance.
  • To ensure the management of fishery statistical system, under the National Statistical System, and manage the fishery, information system in all its components of regional and national extents and in the relationship with national and international bodies competent in the fishery domain.
  • To ensure the co-ordination of co-operative actions that comprise bodies from this sector and competent entities from other Departments, ensuring also this industry participation in the Interministerial Commission of the Community Affairs and in the Interministerial Commission for Co-operation. It is also for GDFA to carry out the role as interlocutor in Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance, either on national or European level.



AQUACULTURE AND SEASALT DEPARTMENT

  • The Aquaculture and Sea-salt Department carry out activities related with brackish and marine water culture and, also, with sea-salt works.
  • The department co-ordinates the fish-farms licensing process, which includes other authority approval, such as Environment, Defence, Health, Local authorities.
  • Financial support projects are analysed and proposed to Ministry approbation.
  • National Data Bank for fisheries is updated in what concerns aquaculture.
  • Due to the marine aquaculture dependence from available sites on the seashore and suitable environmental areas, the department participates in the coastal management plans.
  • The activities related with sea-salt extraction and statistical data collecting is another functional area.