MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

South Atlantic Fisheries Committee holds 19th meeting.

British and Argentine government representatives held the 19th South Atlantic Fisheries Committee meeting in London from 14-15 June. Mr Alan Huckle, Head of the Overseas Territories Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office led the British delegation and Ambassador Santos Goñi, Head of the Foreign Ministry's Malvinas and South Atlantic Department, led the Argentine delegation.

At the meeting, the South Atlantic Fisheries Commission highlighted the continuing co-operation between Argentina's National Institute of Fisheries Research and Development INIDEP) and the UK's Imperial College, "which contributed to the Commission's understanding of the scientific aspects of the fisheries of significant species."

In a joint press statement, the delegations reiterated the commitment of both governments to conserve fish and squid stocks of the South West Atlantic. Furthermore, they recognised that further scientific research should be carried out to improve knowledge of the most significant offshore species in the area.

The British and Argentine delegations reaffirmed their support for the Early Warning System and acknowledged the need to carry out additional scientific work in order to improve it.

The Commission recommended the preservation of a 40,000 tonne-level of Illex spawning stock biomass at the end of the fishing season to ensure stock sustainability. It also endorsed the Scientific Sub-Committee's recommendation to increase the frequency of data exchange between the Imperial College and INIDEP, whenever the Illex squid fishery showed signs of uncertainty.

Based on a report from the Scientific Sub-Committee, which showed that the declining trend in the spawning biomass of southern blue whiting has apparently stabilised, the Commission recommended a precautionary approach.

At the meeting the delegations exchanged views on conservation measures affecting South West Atlantic fisheries and discussed ways of ensuring their relative stability. They agreed, "the timely establishment of a multilateral arrangement would provide the necessary long-term mechanism to ensure the sustainability of fish stocks in the high seas of the South West Atlantic". The Commission also approved the Scientific Sub-Committee's decision to continue research on the status of hoki stocks.

Both parties said they were satisfied with their respective governments' efforts to combat poaching, as illegal fishing undermines the conservation of fish stocks, and they agreed to increase efforts to achieve their objectives in a co-ordinated manner.