MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Squid absence forces Falklands' Illex fishery closure.

The Falkland Islands Illex fishery will close two months early on 14 April 2004, the Falklands Fisheries Department announced this Friday in Stanley.

A similar decision by Argentine authorities is anticipated in the coming days, virtually closing the South Atlantic Illex squid fishery.

The Falklands Fisheries Department said the early closure is being implemented for conservation reasons.

"The abundance of Illex has been assessed as being low from research cruise results, and this has also been reflected in commercial catches which have been the lowest on record".

"Companies involved in the fishery have been informed of the early closure" and a decision on "the level of refund due on license fees will be made as soon as possible", added the message signed by Fisheries Department Director John Barton.

Earlier this week reports in the Argentine press indicated a similar growing concern with the low Illex catches and Fisheries Under Secretary Gerardo Nieto is quoted saying that "in the coming days the (Argentine) government will decide the early closure of the squid fishery south of parallel 44, which provides 70% of all catches".

Apparently since the opening of the season in February Argentine licenced jiggers are averaging four tons per day, down from twenty tons last season, with the total catch reaching 28,251 tons. In the high seas that is 200 miles plus, catches have proved even worse, reports Clarín from Buenos Aires.

This would be the third consecutive season that the Argentine government is forced to anticipate the closure of the fishery because of the absence of abundant squid, and to ensure conservation and resource sustainability. Although admitting that the one year life cycle of squid is rather "erratic", the causes of the reiterated phenomenon are unknown.

Squid exports represent 200 million US dollars for Argentina annually and Argentine vessels' catches this season are estimated to drop to half, from 135,000 in 2003 to less than 70,000 tons.

That is, "if beginning May catches above parallel 44 don't prove to be extremely scarce also", reports Clarín.

Three thousand Argentine crewmembers are involved in the squid fishery.