MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Argentina: 60,000 tonnes of hake in first quarter
The Argentine commercial fishing fleet landed 61,264 tonnes of common hake (Merluccius hubbsi) during the first quarter of this year, mostly caught south of parallel 41º S.
According to information provided by Argentina's Undersecretariat of Fisheries' National Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture (DNP&A), out of the total landings, 19,514 tonnes corresponded to January, 22,950 tonnes to February, and 19,800 tonnes to part of March, as not all the data for this month have been processed yet.
Ninety five per cent of landings accounted for catches obtained south of parallel 41º S, and the rest, north of this parallel.
Moreover, it has been reported that 85 per cent of the total hake caught, comprised of, around 52,000 tonnes, was fished by fresh-fish vessels, whereas freezer vessels contributed almost 9,000 tonnes.
In the Common Fisheries Zone (CFZ) shared with Uruguay, the offshore fresh-fish fleet has extracted almost 500 tonnes of common hake, and some amount of squid (Illex argentinus), especially during the month of January, when squid-jiggers were not authorised to operate.
Catches landed by the fresh-fish fleet from Mar del Plata also included hoki (Macruronus magellanicus).
Meanwhile, members of the Argentine fisheries industry are eagerly awaiting a new resolution issued by the National Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food (SAGP&A), which will set a total allowable catch (TAC) for this year, based on recommendations by the National Institute of Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP).
While researchers with INIDEP are soon to complete the report on the hake survey campaign, there are rumours within the industry that the TAC will be set at around 400,000 tonnes.
Resolution 1388/04, issued by the Undersecretariat of Fisheries at the end of last year, had set a 380,000-tonne fishing quota, although this number has not yet been backed by scientific research. (FIS)
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