MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Taiwanese jigger “invasion”

At least 199 Taiwanese jiggers are believed to be operating in South Atlantic high seas just ahead of the coming squid season.

The "precise figure" was revealed during a recent public meeting held in the Falkland Islands when one of the elected Councillors responsible for the Fisheries Committee, John Birmingham admitted to the fact adding that currently "huge amounts of squid are being caught on the high seas" reducing Falklands stocks.

The Falkland Islands economy and well being in the South Atlantic is highly dependent on squid licences but it has had an on going battle with poachers, --specially Taiwanese-- in its Economic Exclusive Zone, and increasingly with fishing in the high seas, an area still unregulated that can seriously limit the number, and size, of squid that ultimately reach the disputed British Overseas Territory waters.

The last squid season, 2002, in the Falklands EEZ was particularly poor forcing the local government to tighten the budget and for this coming season to compensate licensed companies with considerable reductions and flexible payment conditions plus a considerable limit in the number of fishing weeks. The squid season will begin March 15th instead of February 1 as has been traditionally.

"The Illex licences were all sold", said Councillor Mike Summers during the public meeting. However Mr. Summers cautioned that "they haven't yet all been paid for; we will be collecting them bit by bit", adding that "the money we are charging this year is substantially less than in previous years. We will be down by £ 7 million in this financial year, plus the licences that ultimately don't get paid for".

Councillor Birmingham explained that squid hatches off the coast of Brazil growing as it moves southward, "but the Taiwanese are driven by cash considerations and no doubt the Koreans and other nationalities as well. They catch them where they can and when they can".

The Falklands government on several occasions has requested help from Taiwanese authorities to keep control over their jiggers in a major conservation effort for South Atlantic resources. However actions from Taipei have not always been satisfactory.

Faced with this situation the Falklands government has been pushing hard for years for a multilateral high seas agreement in the South Atlantic, an issue that will need full collaboration from Argentina that happens to have claims over the archipelago.

The poor catches of last year "is all the reasons for some kind of multilateral high seas agreement. It should be in the agenda again, for sure at the next South Atlantic Fisheries Committee", stresses Councillor Mike Summers.