Winners

Excellens Mare Award

Peter Heffernan

Dr. Peter Heffernan has a BSc and PhD in marine science from the National University of Ireland, Galway and held post-doctoral and Associate Research Scientist positions at the University of Georgia (USA). He has published more than 40 scientific papers and was elected a Member of the Royal Irish Academy and received the NUI Galway Alumni Foundation Award for Natural Sciences. In 2017 he accepted the role of Special Advisor to the Fundação Oceano Azul.

Peter Heffernan is Chief Executive of the Marine Institute since 1993. He has spearheaded the organisation’s expansion, has been instrumental in the establishment of the Irish Government’s Marine Coordination Group, the integrated marine plan for Ireland and acted as an inspiration and Irish EU Presidency ambassador for the creation of the Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance (AORA) with the signing of the Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation at the Marine Institute headquarters, between Canada, the European Union and the United States of America.

For decades, Dr. Peter Heffernan has been an ‘Ocean Ambassador’ in Europe and has been playing a fundamental role in scientific diplomacy between Europe, Canada and the United States. The results of his excellent work are influencing significantly the implementation of an integrated vision of sustainable economic development of sea-related activities in the North Atlantic Region, with national and international relevance.

Valoris Mare Award

Gelpeixe

Gelpeixe has been engaged in the processing, storage, marketing and distribution of fish for more than 40 years. The excellence of the products it trades and the quality of its production processes, certified by ISO 9001 and ISO 22000 certifications, as well as the partnerships it maintains with its customers and suppliers, has allowed the company to sustain over the years a turnover of more than 50 million euros and good profitability, adding value and employment for the country.

One of the marks of the management of this family-owned company, led by Comendador Manuel Tarré, is the excellence of the working conditions that it provides to its 180 workers, which has allowed to retain the best talent that exists in the sector. In this context, Gelpeixe has gained several awards over working conditions over time.

There is also the active participation of Gelpeixe in several activities to promote the Sea food Industry, in Portugal and internationally, contributing strongly to the reinforcement of cooperation in the economy of the sea.

Gelpeixe has been instrumental in creating value for the country in the development of national blue growth

Identitas Mare Award

Nacional Cultural Network for Seas and Rivers

The Nacional Cultural Network for Seas and Rivers, which originated in May 2002 through a manifesto of a group of Portuguese citizens concerned with the priority of safeguarding and valuing the maritime heritage (Declaration of Nazaré), has been assuming a role in promoting maritime cultures in Portugal.

It began by calling itself the Sea Cultural Network, has evolved into the National Sea Cultural Network to welcome the concept of constellation of local networks and its upward construction and currently has the name of the National Network of Culture of the Seas and Rivers to meet the wide plurality of rivers and seas. Since its inception, the Network has focused on the unique heritage, cultural and identity diversity of our local communities, promoting cooperation between regions, between municipalities, between entities related to coastal cultures and between citizens, leading to integrated initiatives of origin local development associated with blue development, with national reach. The meetings that have been held are always very participative and alive, producing important advances in the valorization, preservation and diffusion of the local reality and its patrimonial context, contributing its knowledge to the environmental education, the enrichment of the scientific culture, the civic awareness and the creation of riverside literacy environments; as well as the coastal cultural landscapes, such as the sargaceira culture, should be emphasized, such as their identity images, the traditional boats as poles of schools of the sea.

Currently being chaired by the Municipality of Esposende, the beginning of its cross-community itinerary in 2011 is due to the decisive initiative of the Municipality of Póvoa de Varzim and, in its launch in 2004, this network had entities from cities such as Nazaré, Olhão and Póvoa de Varzim and its Municipalities, Aveiro, Ericeira, Ílhavo, Lisbon, Peniche and Porto, as well as maritime and riverside heritage associations, museums, libraries and other public bodies, researchers, representatives of entities associated with the fishing industry and citizens. The Society of Geography of Lisbon, represented by Mr. Admiral José Bastos Saldanha, has played a key role in promoting this project of excellence that contributes to unite, in an exemplary way, the Portuguese society around its maritime heritage and its preservation and safeguard.

Navigare Mare Award

Fernando Henrique Cardoso Foundation

Founded in 2010, the Fernando Henrique Cardoso Foundation is the heir of the Institute created by President Fernando Henrique Cardoso in order to organize and make available its public archives and to be a space for debate on issues relevant to Brazil and its international partners.

Since its establishment, the Foundation has been very active and dynamic in pursuing its purpose, holding debates and discussions on various political, economic and social issues in Brazil, with internal and external impact. The reinforcement of cooperation between Brazilian entities and other countries, particularly the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries, has been a design in which they have been betting.

The Fernando Henrique Cardoso Foundation was one of the first entities in Brazil to discuss in depth and transversally the themes of the economy of the sea and blue growth. In 2016, it held the conference “The Economy of the Sea: Challenges of the Sustainable Development in Brazil”, bringing together the best experts in marine affairs from all Brazilian states, setting the example of the path of cooperation that needs to be done to succeed in blue growth. Following on from the work begun in 2016, in 2017, the Foundation invites the Portuguese Minister of the Sea to discuss the two countries’ strategies for the sea, opening the way for strengthening cooperation and dialogue between CPLP countries through the Sea Economy.

The excellent and inspiring example of cooperation carried out by the Fernando Henrique Cardoso Foundation in relation to the Economy of the Sea of Brazil has an impact on the Brazilian states as a whole, but also on the entire South Atlantic and in the Countries of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries.

Athletice Mare Award

Clube Naval de Cascais

Founded in 1938, the Clube Naval de Cascais is celebrating its 80th anniversary, full of reasons to celebrate. Since its birth, it has taken a leading role in the development of nautical sports in Portugal, especially in sailing, becoming one of the most prestigious Nautical Clubs in Portugal and Europe. In sailing, its sporting history is exceptional, having managed to generate about half of the Portuguese sailors’ presences at the Olympic Games. It has one of the largest sailing schools in the country, which makes up about 600 sailors per year, with a diversity of levels of learning in the various classes and with a high degree of flexibility regarding age groups. In addition to the excellent dynamics in the organization of various national and international championships and events, Clube Naval de Cascais has a pioneering project “The Sailing Project Without Limits”, which enables people with disabilities to practice a Nautical sport. The excellence of its contribution to the development of nautical sports in Portugal was recognized in 2013 by His Excellency The President of the Republic with the attribution of the title of Honorary Member of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator.

Scientia Mare Award

Hydrographic Institute (Portugal)

The Portuguese Hydrographic Institute has as its fundamental mission to ensure activities related to the sciences and techniques of the sea, with a view to their application in the military area, and to contribute to the development of the country in the scientific and defense areas of the marine environment, in a multidisciplinary way. This Institute is an organ of the Portuguese Navy, created in 1960, whose foundations date back to the time of the discoveries, and it has been affirmed by the quality of its scientific investigations, its products and the services that it offers. This assertion is supported by external recognition, given through the certification of the Quality Management System, in the key areas for the exercise of its mission and in the daily commitment that it places in the pursuit of the improvement of services. Hydrography, oceanography, navigation safety, marine geology and chemistry have always been topics in which the Hydrographic Institute is a national and international reference. Using its own nautical means and the four hydro-oceanographic vessels of the Navy, equipped with several scientific equipment, the Hydrographic Institute has been a key actor in the knowledge of the oceans and in particular of the seabed in Portugal, giving an important contribution to the works that sustain the national proposal for the extension of the continental shelf.

Natura Mare Award

Rebikoff-Niggeler Foundation

The Rebikoff-Niggeler Foundation is a non-profit foundation whose main mission is to document the deep-sea fauna and habitats of the Azores, with the aim of protecting, knowing and valuing it. The directors of the Foundation, Kirsten Jakobsen and Joachim Jakobsen, are also the documentary filmmakers about the underwater life at great depth and are the crew of the LULA1000 submarine. This submarine can take three crew on missions up to 1000 meters deep, allowing excellent in situ observation capability due to its large spherical porthole. The LULA 1000 is an innovative vehicle and the only manned submersible, of extreme depth, to operate in Portugal. Around the world, only 10 scientific manned submersibles can reach 1000 meters deep. The more than 1000 hours of video, about recorded deep sea fauna and habitats of the Azores, have been a key contribution to the recording and preservation of deep-sea marine habitats.