MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Squid controversy.

The Argentine Chamber of Jiggers, CAPA, claims that this season's Illex catches will be “lower than average” and questions official preliminary figures as “over optimistic”.

This week, Argentina's Fisheries Research and Development Institute, INIDEP, revealed preliminary data following a joint scientific cruise in the South Atlantic with United Kingdom marine biologists.

INIDEP stated that the catch volume this season will be close to the 356,269 tons of 1996. However Carlos Mazzoni, CAPA's CEO believes "we're facing a typical case of lower than average biomass", meaning that catches in the Argentine EEZ and Falklands waters "could be in the region of 250,000 tons".

"Considering the current biomass and vessel's current capacity, it can be estimated that the average jigger in the Argentine EEZ will catch 2,000 tons in the south and 1,000 tons in Falklands. Without considering trawlers, there could be 125 jiggers in Falklands waters and 60 in Argentine EEZ, adding to the 245,000 we're estimating", said Mr. Mazzoni.

"We believe it's nor advisable to have more than 60 Argentine jiggers in the area; it's a number in line with the available biomass and the Federal Fisheries Bill", stressed Mr. Mazzoni.

National fleet conducts experimental fisheries in Peru, Uruguay

The General Secretary of Sea Fisheries (SGPM) says the recent experimental fisheries conducted by Spanish vessels in Peruvian and Uruguayan waters finished with "good results."

SGPM, which is part of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Ministry (MAPA), added that the objective was to ascertain the possibility of longliner, potter and rascos (a type of gillnet) efforts in the waters, and five Organisation of Longline Producers of Ribeira (ORPAL) vessels took part. These vessels used to be part of the fleet that operated under the EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement, which expired in November 1999.

The Peruvian campaign was conducted by the Illa de Rua, the Nepomuseno and the Playa do Vilar, which are all based at Ribeira, and focused on surface longline, deep-sea longline, potter and rascos efforts along the coastal platform and the continental shelf at depths between 50m and 2,000m.

Deep-sea longlining resulted in good catches of Patagonian toothfish, squid and hake, blue shark by surface longlining and spider crab by potters. The most Patagonian toothfish and spider crab resources were found between the port