Coastal Ocean Use Mapping Project

The  Blue Azores program  is a partnership between the  Regional Government of the Azores ,  Oceano Azul Foundation , and the  Waitt Institute  to support the protection of 30% of the Azorean sea. It is the goal of Blue Azores to optimize the existing marine protected area (MPA) network while developing and implementing management plans for new MPA’s. The planning process will utilize the best available science while considering the interests of stakeholders and their knowledge of the sea to enrich the process and optimize solutions for resource use and conservation. The Coastal Ocean Use Mapping project is a government-led initiative through the Blue Azores program, guided by in-country and international experts, designed to produce spatial data characterizing coastal ocean use.

During implementation of the Coastal Ocean Use Mapping project, 1,977 individual respondents submitted 2,483 sector responses representing 5,050 individuals using the SeaSketch mapping tool.

• “Individual respondents” indicates the collective number of individuals who directly interacted with the survey tool.
• “Sector responses” indicates the total number of unique responses received in each sector of ocean use, as many respondents recorded use in multiple sectors.
• “Individuals represented” indicates the cumulative number of people represented, including those reflected through group responses.

Data collected in phase 1 is summarized below for each island.

Corvo is located in the western group of the Azores archipelago. According to the 2021 census, it has a total population of 386 people residing in a single municipality. 3 locally based individuals were hired and trained to facilitate survey responses over a 3-week period of implementation from 7 – 28 February 2022. In total, 86 sector responses were collected from 73 respondents representing the ocean use patterns of 78 individuals in Corvo, which exceeded the population target of 58 individuals.

Out of 73 total respondents, 51 disclosed their age. Ages ranged from 7 to 68, with a mean age of 27. Of the 62 respondents who disclosed their gender, 40% identified as female and 60% identified as male.

Heatmaps which summarize survey responses collected in Corvo in each sector of ocean use with 3 or more shapes drawn are shown below. The number of shapes input into each heatmap are reported in the caption (“N”).

Flores is located in the western group of the Azores archipelago. According to the 2021 census, it has a total population of 3,428 people residing in 2 municipalities. 3 locally based individuals were hired and trained to facilitate survey responses over a 3-week period of implementation from 7 – 28 February 2022. In total, 246 sector responses were collected from 164 respondents representing the ocean use patterns of 483 individuals in Flores, which exceeded the population target of 132 individuals.

Out of 164 total respondents, 115 disclosed their age. Ages ranged from 14 to 78, with a mean age of 42. Of the 131 respondents who disclosed their gender, 32% identified as female and 68% identified as male.

Heatmaps which summarize survey responses collected in Flores in each sector of ocean use with 3 or more shapes drawn are shown below. The number of shapes input into each heatmap are reported in the caption (“N”).

Santa Maria is an eastern island of the Azores archipelago. According to the 2021 census, it has a total population of 5,408 people residing in a single municipality. 4 locally based individuals were hired and trained to facilitate survey responses over a 3-week period of implementation from 7 – 28 February 2022. In total, 181 sector responses were collected from 153 respondents representing the ocean use patterns of 534 individuals in Santa Maria, which exceeded the population target of 68 individuals.

Out of 153 total respondents, 118 disclosed their age. Ages ranged from 17 to 79, with a mean age of 42. Of the 121 respondents who disclosed their gender, 30% identified as female and 70% identified as male.

Heatmaps which summarize survey responses collected in Santa Maria in each sector of ocean use with 3 or more shapes drawn are shown below. The number of shapes input into each heatmap are reported in the caption (“N”).

Heatmaps which summarize survey responses collected in all islands for the Touristic Fishing sector are shown below.