MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina: New squid licence register opens

The Federal Fisheries Council (CFP) has approved a proposal to be sent to the Application Authority concerning a series of definitions for squid (Illex argentinus) management for the 2003 season.

Jiggers that have applied to be permanently included in the national registration or ?charteo' in order to obtain one of the 19 squid fishing licences on offer should be registered in the Special Register of Jigger Projects. This register should be authorised by the Application Authority within 30 days after the publication of the CFP act (dated 22 May) and will remain open until 31 October 2002.

According to the definitions, the registration cost for each vessel included in each project will be 30,000 Argentine pesos (ARS) and must be paid before the project is presented. There should only be two vessels per project and they mustn't be more than 20 years old. In addition, the vessels should land and reprocess at least 20 per cent of their catches on land. If this requirement is not met, it will be considered as a serious infringement and will result in the loss of the fishing licence.

The definitions also stipulate that the effective incorporation will be guaranteed by ARS 100,000 per vessel, which should be set up within 60 days of the project being approved, by means of cash deposits, bank guarantee, public debt bonds, fixed payments or insurance bond from an insurance company, according to the payment methods set by the Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food which will remain until the effective incorporation of the vessel.

If a vessel is not incorporated into a project approved before 1 February 2003, the right to the Special Register of Jigger Projects project will be lost, the bond will go to the National Fisheries Fund (FO.NA.PE) and the project will be dismissed, according to the proposal.

The proposal also states that priority will be given to vessels which are permanently included in the national register and which process most of their squid on land. In addition, the owner of a fishing licence for a charteo jigger, which they decide to replace with a jigger built in national shipyard, can include the vessel and the CFP will grant the corresponding fishing licence.

The final proposal states that freezer trawlers with a current unrestricted fishing licence or one which includes hake (Merluccius hubbsi) can choose to become jiggers by registering in the Special Register of Jigger Projects, and their original fishing licence cannot be transferred to other trawlers neither for fresh nor frozen use.