MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Jack mackerel and hake quotas announced.

The Zonal Fisheries Council of Chile for Regions V to VIII has approved the Fisheries Department's preliminary proposal for next year's jack mackerel and hake fisheries.

The Council's president, Sigisfredo Scheuermann, said the total jack mackerel quota will be 1.4 million tonnes, with 1,332,000 tonnes allocated for commercial fishing, and 68,000 tonnes for research.

Companies belonging to the Bío Bío Fishing Industry Association (Asipes) will be allocated 957,861 tonnes of the commercial quota. The rest will be distributed among the country's other regions.

Artisanal fishermen will have a 600 tonne quota, that is 5 per cent of the total.

Meanwhile, the South Pacific hake quota was set at 139,500 tonnes, with 610 tonnes allocated for research, 90,278 tonnes for the industrial fleet and 48,611 tonnes for artisanal fishermen.

These quotas were both set with protection of the species in mind, taking into account factors such as the current biomass, risk percentage and stock level to be maintained.

The National Fishery Council will make the final decision on the proposed quotas in Valparaíso sometime this week.

Source: FIS/MP