MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Hake ban set in Common Fishing Zone

A preventive summer ban on Hubbsi Hake is being imposed from 1 January to 31 March in the Common Fishing Zone (CFZ) shared by Argentina and Uruguay.

The decision to impose the ban was taken by the Joint Technical Commission for the Maritime Front, which includes representatives from both countries, to protect juveniles and safeguard stocks through rational exploitation.

The ban applies to the area between points 35° 20'S - 52° 20' W, 35°15' S - 52°50' W, 37°30' S - 56° 00' W and 37° 30' S - 55°20' W.

Hake catches and bottom trawlers are forbidden in the ban area where joint research has detected the presence of many juvenile specimens.

Pelagic vessels will be allowed to continue fishing in the area as long as they carry an observer onboard.

The Joint Technical Commission has also established a summer ban on weakfish (Cynoscion guatucupa), which started on 18 December 2002 and will be in force till 28 February 2003.

The weakfish ban applies to the area between 34° 48' S - 53° 58' W, 34° 32' S - 53° 33' W, 33° 52' S - 53°10' W, 34°13'S - 52° 35' W, 34° 58' S - 53° 13' W and 35° 05' S - 53° 40' W.

The regulations stipulate that non-compliance with either of these bans will be considered a serious breach of current fisheries legislation and will be penalised accordingly.

Source: FIS