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Fisheries News.

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Patagonian toothfish TAC, same as last year; Record fresh fish and shellfish landings in Vigo.

Patagonian toothfish TAC, same as last year

Members of the Argentine Federal Fisheries Council (CFP) have unanimously decided to maintain the 2,250-tonne total allowable catch (TAC) on Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) this year, repeating the 2004 limit.

The TAC established is based on conservation criteria and was agreed after evaluating the technical report on the resource conditions from the National Institute of Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP).

In addition to the February 10 TAC, CFP members decided several other measures to enhance a sustainable development of the fishery. This means that 45% of TAC, that is to say 982.50 tonnes, would be allocated to by-catch; the remaining 55% or 1,237.50 tons would be distributed as Catch Authorization among fishing vessels that fulfill several requirements.

Vessels must have a catch history associated with the species above 1% of the total catches of the species during the period established in Fisheries Law No. 24.922, and above 3% of total catches obtained from any of the fishery efforts for 2003 and 2004. Fishing quotas for each vessel will be allocated by taking into account the participation within total catches during the 1989-1996 period.

Given these considerations, the CFP will authorise the Enforcement Authority to issue catch licenses for the vessels listed below:

? Antartic I, 447.69 tonnes ? Antartic II, 164.07 tonnes ? Antartic III, 101.36 tonnes ? Echizen Maru, 147.17 tonnes ? Viento del Sur, 150.60 tonnes Moreover, it will reserve a 226.62 tons quota as an administrative provision.

Additionally, Oscar Padín, representing the Secretariat of Environment and Sustainable Development (SA&DS) under the National Ministry of Health and Environment, has proposed to "fortify research in order to improve knowledge of areas concentrating juvenile specimens, so as to minimise the by-catch impact on that segment of population."

He also said that it would be important to study "alternative fishing techniques and methods that may allow diversifying fleet operations towards areas outside the traditional fishing zones."

Lastly, Mr. Padín proposed that INIDEP technicians make their best effort to ensure the analysis and processing of the data provided by the Onboard Observer Programme. CFP will then have updated information on the abundance and distribution of juveniles in order to determine the necessary conservation measures. (FIS/MP).

Record fresh fish and shellfish landings in Vigo.

The Port of Vigo, Spain, last year reached new all-time highs in terms of fresh fish and shellfish landings, thus consolidating its ranking as one of the major fisheries ports in Europe.

According to a report released by port authorities, Galician raft-farmed mussels topped landings with a total 12,535.7 tonnes. Among other species that registered the largest catch volumes were megrim, with 2,197.7 tonnes landed, and black European hake, amounting to 895.4 tonnes.

Vigo also landed 569 tonnes of swordfish, 46.8 tonnes of tuna, 39.1 tonnes of cod and slightly more than 900 kilograms of sardine, pompano, and skate. White hake, blue whiting, conger, horse mackerel, and monkfish were registered significant volumes.

Among shellfish, the largest volumes corresponded to mollusks, with a total 1,241.6 tonnes, and cephalopods such as short fin squid, octopus, cuttlefish and squid, fetching 1,301.8 tonnes.

Scampi netted 59.9 tonnes, while fishers brought in a combined total of 41.3 tonnes of clams, scallops, velvet crabs, edible crabs and king crabs; goose barnacles amounted to 4.6 tonnes; whereas a harvest of 276.6 tonnes of farmed oysters were registered. Lobster and shrimp landings ranged between 2,000 and 4,000 kilograms. (FIS/MP).-