Missed the fishing fuel rebate in October? Small boats on the mainland get a second go until 30 December
Call MAR2030-2026-33 opened on 4 November with €3 million in public money for mainland owners who only run boats under 12 metres and didn't apply in September. The aid is a fixed share of each boat's sales, from 1.50% to 6.32% depending on fuel and gear, and closes at 6pm on 30 December.
Apply / Learn moreIf you own a small fishing boat on the Portuguese mainland and let the October deadline slip, there’s a second chance. Call MAR2030-2026-33 opened on Wednesday 4 November and takes applications on the Balcão dos Fundos portal until 6pm on 30 December.
It’s aimed at one kind of owner only: someone who runs nothing but boats under 12 metres in overall length (bow to stern). And only those who didn’t apply to the previous call.
Why it reopened
In September the Mar 2030 programme opened the fuel rebate for the whole mainland fleet, and it closed on 12 October. Eight days later, Portaria 461/2026/1 topped up the support for boats under 12 metres, with that call already shut.
The new call is unusually frank about the second reason. Owners of these small boats, it says, are the ones who struggle most to reach EU funding because of digital literacy, and many never find out a call is open.
How much each boat gets
The rebate isn’t based on your fuel bills. It’s a fixed percentage of each boat’s sales between March and December 2026, set by fuel and fishing gear:
- Diesel: 1.99% for multi-gear (polivalente), 2.62% for purse seine, 6.32% for trawl.
- Petrol: 1.53% for multi-gear, 1.74% for purse seine, 1.50% for trawl.
By our sums, a diesel multi-gear boat landing an average €5,000 of fish a month would get about €995 for the ten months. There’s a floor: if the calculated aid comes in under €100, nothing is paid. For a diesel multi-gear boat, that means average sales below roughly €503 a month.
Auction-hall sales reach the managing authority directly from DGRM, the maritime and fisheries directorate. Anything sold outside the auction has to be declared by a certified accountant.
Who can apply
Companies or individuals in sea fishing with a valid licence for the whole period covered, and recorded activity on the boats in at least one of 2022, 2023 or 2024. Tax, social security and EU-funds records must be clean. Only the vessel’s operator (the armador) can apply, in a single application covering every boat they run.
There’s €3 million of public money on the table: €2.1 million from the EU fisheries fund (EMFAF, FEAMPA in Portuguese) and €900,000 from the national budget. If demand exceeds that, the call provides for a pro-rata cut. Payment comes in a single claim, with the July to September and October to December rates updated to the actual rise in fuel prices over those months.
Questions go to the Linha dos Fundos on 800 10 35 10, free, 9am to 6pm. The Azores ran their own fishing call, which closes on 30 November.
Image: Pedro Ribeiro Simões / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)