MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

CCAMLR Convention Area fishing fees established

Argentine-flagged vessels operating in waters within the CCAMLR (Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources) Convention Area now have to pay fees to operate there.

The Federal Fisheries Council (FFC) established in Ordinance Nº 12/2001 that the said fees would be annual, consisting of two payments. The first payment is fixed and amounts to 10,000 Argentine pesos (ARS) ? the equivalent of USD 10,000 ? and must be paid before the documentation authorising the fishery in the zone is received. The second payment equals ARS 100 (USD 100) per species caught.

These monies will be used to pay the contributions demanded by the CCAMLR Executive Secretary to finance research and study programmes of marine living resources and to cover the advertising costs of the conservation measures adopted by the Commission.

The Federal Fisheries Council has approved the issuance of four permits for Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) in the CCAMLR Convention Area. The vessels awarded the permits are the Antarctic I, II and III, owned by ASC South America S.A and Pescargen III, owned by Pescargen S.A. All are longliners.

Japanese common squid fishery looks good

The Japanese common squid fishery in the Sea of Japan is going well. Just half way into the season, and off Sanin, Hokuriku and Sakai-minato catches are better than last year's.

While a large school of the squid moved north towards the coast of Nigata and Yamagata prefectures, some squid remained around the Oki area. There's plenty for them to eat and the schools have grown.

The cumulative total catch in April in Sakai-minato, base of the largest fishing fleet operating off the coast of the Sanin area, amounted to approximately 144,000 cases - 2.3 times more than last year (approximately 64,000 cases). During the first half of May the catch was approximately 20 per cent higher than the first few weeks of May 2000 - about 66,000 cases compared with 55,000 cases last year. The squid were initially small but then at the beginning of April most of the catch consisted of 30-40 pieces per case (five kilograms), while the 25-30 size was more common in mid-May, with 20 size representing 20 per cent of the total. The squid are growing well.

In the Hokuriku area squid catches finally started to increase. In Kanazawa, where the main port for Japanese common squid fishing is located, catches amounted to app