MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine hopeful with squid season.

With great expectation the squid season opened in the Argentine EEZ, south of parallel 44, reports Pescare from Mar del Plata.

Most of the jigger fleet is now operating hoping that this season the total catch will be well above last year's dismal 68,000 tons which forced the early closure of the fishery.

According to Pescare, the Argentine squid industry is encouraged by the relatively acceptable catches in the high seas this summer.

However it is estimated that over a hundred jiggers, mostly Asian, were operating in the high seas forcing the Argentine naval fisheries patrols to keep a close look in the area, adds Pecare.

Early January the Argentine industry reported that jiggers were taking up to fifteen tons of squid per day in the high seas, but the volume later decreased.

High seas squid catching has an impact for Argentine fisheries and for the "established illegal fisheries surrounding the Islas Malvinas", indicates Pescare.

INIDEP the Mar del Plata based Fisheries and Research Institute has forecasted that this season catches north and south of parallel 44 South will be relatively low.

Pescare finally quotes Argentine Foreign Affairs Ministry sources saying that "in the future it would be convenient to have international agreements regarding the sustainability of the migrant Illex squid fishery" including protected areas.

"Working under the coordination of United Nations, multilateral agreements with several countries, including England" could be a mechanism.