MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Fisheries News.

Headlines:
Brazil invites forty foreign vessels; President Lula administration defines fishery policy; Chile targets Hoki for human consumption.

Brazil invites forty foreign vessels

The Brazilian government has announced that it will authorise 40 foreign flagged vessels to fish in Brazilian waters. An application period will be established for national fishing companies and cooperatives that want to charter foreign vessels to operate in Brazilian fishing grounds. The measure, which applies to fishery in grounds under the jurisdiction of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Living Marine Resources (CCAMLR), will be a good opportunity for the Galician fleet, but has not been as well received as expected, reports La Voz de Galicia Although the association with Brazilian businessmen will provide an alternative fishing ground for Spanish fleets, previous experiences in Brazil, have not been very productive. The news has evoked memories of the bad results obtained from the experimental shrimp campaigns carried out in Brazilian waters following the closure of the Moroccan fishing ground. However, vessel owners have not completely dismissed the possibility of fishing in Brazil. They prefer the fishery to be carried out within the framework of an experimental campaign, or within temporary societies. The Spanish sector also believes that the Brazilian offer could be beneficial to the surface long-line fleet, whose target species are tuna and swordfish, especially as Brazil is having trouble fulfilling the tuna fishing quotas assigned by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT), due to the limitations of its fleet. However when the Spanish vessels operated under the chartering system in Brazil, the local government claimed a higher swordfish quota in the Atlantic, which, in the long run, affected Spanish interests in the ICCAT. Brazil's offer is for 35 licences for vessels of less than 35 metres in length, and 250 tonnes capacity, and another 5 licences for vessels of 42 metres in length and with a 550 tonne capacity. (FIS/MP).-

President Lula administration defines fishery policy

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will inaugurate this Tuesday the National Aquaculture and Fishery Conference that is scheduled to extend until November 27. This event will bring together all the country's fishing and aquaculture states to decide on an industry action plan for the next few years. After 27 state meetings, during which each Brazilian region discussed the local and national proposals which should be included in the Conference, the event will take place in the National Confederation of Industry Worker's Training Centre in Luziania, and will bring together representatives from the aquaculture sector, artisanal fishermen and national businessmen. The Aquaculture and Fisheries Department (Seap) has announced that the meeting aims to debate and approve the Strategic Aquaculture and Fisheries Sustainable Development Plan, promised by President Lula on taking office. Minister Jose Fritsch believes that this will be a historical meeting for the sector, which has lacked a sustained support government policy for 15 years. According to the authorities, promotion of the sector has already led to an increase in fish consumption. This potential for development has also led to the rapid growth of the sector. Reports by Seap reveal that all states are beginning to install fish storages; supermarkets are offering fresher and more different types of fish and seafood at better prices. Besides public authorities have been established in each region to support the industry and give advice on ongoing fishing and aquatic initiatives. According to Seap, this has strengthened the organizational structure of the sector, which is now ready to grow in a sustainable way in order to continue supplying the domestic market and increase exports. (FIS/MP).-

Chile targets Hoki for human consumption

Legal changes in hoki catches for industry should help improve the employment situation in Chile's eighth Region. President of the Biobio Fishing Industrialists Association (Asipes), Rodrigo Sarquis, said that the new fishing law would allow industrialists to trawl hoki in mid-water fisheries within the 60 mile area. The Chilean fisheries industry in Region VIII recently overcame the jack mackerel crisis and has been gradually improving employment levels since then. Today, the sector generates around 12,000 jobs, a figure which could be increased through catches of hoki destined for human consumption, believes the union leader. If the ruling is passed, 100,000 tonnes of hoki would be destined for human consumption products, which would lead to investments of around USD 50 million. An increase in catches would also require 8 to 10 new vessels, and the installation of three to five new processing plants. Using this species for human consumption products, and therefore adding value to it, has led to better returns. Currently, almost 35 per cent of the quota is destined for human consumption, while just three years ago, 100 per cent of the catches went to the fishmeal industry. According to Aspies president Sarquis, the challenge is ensuring that 100% of catches are for human consumption, something which he believes could happen in five years time. The hoki quota for 2003 has been set at 124,200 tonnes for the industrial fleet based between Regions V and X. The total hoki landings in that area until September, reached 31,981 tonnes - a 38.5% increase over the same period last year. (FIS/MP).