MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

South Atlantic hake dispute ends in court.

An Argentine federal judge repealed a lower court appeal that allowed several vessels to fish common hake (Merluccius hubbsi) despite having exceeded the total allowable catch (TAC) established by the Argentine Fisheries authorities. Furthermore the federal judge ordered the company owning those vessels to be sanctioned.

The lifting of the judicial appeal had been a request to the Federal Court of Ushuaia by Chubut province State Attorney Jorge Miquelarena.

Vessels Api II, Api IV and Antartida, belonging to the Argentine branch of the Spanish company based in Vigo, Iberconsa must now remain in port for more than a month and their cargoes seized. The company was fined EUR 24,000.

However Iberconsa's managers insist that the precautionary measure extended by Rawson City Federal Judge Miguel Ángel Guidici, granted them permission to continue catching common hake in Argentine waters despite having exceeded the TAC. Sources interviewed by the newspaper La Voz de Galicia, said the vessels continued to operate despite the ruling.

"The risk exists that the 405,000 tonnes hake TAC forecasted for 2004 would become exhausted before December thus causing damage to inland plants, which would run out of input," argued Mr. Miquelarena.

Prior to the ruling issued by the Federal Justice, State Attorney Miquelarena said that the resource shortage is forcing implementation of "objective management measures" to prevent its collapse. These measures "mean reducing fishing vessels efforts to protect the general interest".

In his request to the Ushuaia Federal Judge, Mr. Miquelarena claimed that ignoring regulations issued by national authorities for the sustainability of the common hake fisheries was "irrational".

Chubut province Governor Mario Das Neves also joined the controversy and in a statement to the local press claimed the "existence of spurious fisheries interests, which came from abroad and pretend to legitimize an economic activity resorting to shameful rulings authorised by certain judges".

"We have declared this kind of activity illegal and we will continue to talk with stakeholders in order to find a common ground. The objective of all of us is conservation and sustainability of the fisheries so that a majority of our citizens may have stable employment" underlined Mr. Mario Das Neves. (FIS/MP).-