Rei dos Açores

Rei dos Açores is a family-owned tuna vessel from the Azores, dedicated to traditional pole-and-line fishing in the North Atlantic. The crew targets bigeye, yellowfin and skipjack tuna using a low-environmental-impact method that respects marine life and supports local coastal communities. Each trip continues a multi-generation commitment to responsible, sustainable tuna fishing.

Today, his sons Eduino and Paulo Quadros lead Rei dos Açores. They sail the same waters, with the same surname and the same promise: to honour their father’s legacy, keep the family tradition alive and fish sustainably in the Atlantic that shaped their story.

Rei dos Açores begins with one man and a small open boat.

Alfredo Ávila Quadros (1942 to 2020) went to sea because that was the way to feed his family when times were hard. No guarantees. Just the Atlantic, a wooden hull and the stubborn belief that work and courage could change his future.

As a young fisherman, he learned to read the wind, the current and the silence of the ocean. Trip after trip, he refined his craft in the waters of the Azores and grew from deckhand to respected master of vessels such as Mar Formoso and Prainha.

In 1985, after years of saving, risk and sacrifice, he became owner of the trawler Pérola do Calhau. It was more than a boat. It was proof that resilience pays off and that a fisherman from a small island could build something of his own.

In 1998, Alfredo reached his greatest dream: he built Rei dos Açores. A modern tuna vessel, designed to combine innovation with the traditional pole-and-line method, keeping the balance between fishing and the sea that sustains it.

Today, his sons Eduino and Paulo Quadros lead Rei dos Açores. They sail the same waters, with the same surname and the same promise: to honour their father’s legacy, keep the family tradition alive and fish sustainably in the Atlantic that shaped their story.