The Minister of the Environment, Ricardo Salles, said in a private meeting with the deputy governor of Pernambuco, Luciana Santos (PCdoB), that fishing for sardines and night flights to Fernando de Noronha, which are prohibited because of damage to the ecosystem, will be released.

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There is still no details on when the actions will be implemented. However, the intention of the federal government is to do it as quickly as possible. The five daily flights to the island will not be expanded to respect the ceiling of 89,000 visitors per year. Part of the flights, however, will be rescheduled for the night period.

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"The night tourist is different from the day tourist, yes. What's the difference?", joked the minister during the meeting.

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ICMBio, the branch of the ministry that takes care of the preservation of fauna and flora, does not allow either sardine fishing or overnight flights so as not to cause imbalance in the archipelago.

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The agency did not comment on the matter. Technicians privately assess the release as an "attack on the environment". The flights, according to these technicians, affect the habits of some species of birds that live in Noronha.

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Sardines are used as bait for catching large fish such as barracuda and mackerel. Current legislation does not allow fishing in the Environmental Protection Area (APA) of the National Marine Park.

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