MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Fisheries hot news

Squid fishery north of parallel 39 closed as of June 27 - Argentina sets scallop TAC for this year - Proposal for more fishing permits to fight unemployment -

Squid fishery north of parallel 39 closed as of June 27

Argentina's Federal Fisheries Council (CFP) unanimously decided this week to close the Illex squid fishery north of parallel 39º 40' South, in the South Atlantic as of zero hour June 27.

Squid catches will however continue in the Argentine-Uruguayan Common Fishing Zone (ZOCOPES), which is not included in the official resolution. CFP decided to anticipate the closure of the squid season following a meeting of the Squid Fishery Tracking Commission which handles surveys carried out to monitor the squid stock's and biomass.

Sustainability and conservation of the resource were the main reasons for the drastic decision since in the past few days jiggers were catching a growing percentage of undersized juvenile specimens.

CFP also requested the National Institute of Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP) to "develop and submit to the CFP a squid survey plan to be carried out north of parallel 44º S in the EEZ" excluding the ZOCOPES "which would contemplate up to a total 16 vessels". INIDEP must indicate the impact of including, or not, two trawlers.

CFP further agreed on the need "for trawlers to assess the value of squid by-catch" and has invited regional Chambers of Commerce linked to fisheries to submit proposals regarding the issue.

Proposals will be evaluated jointly by INIDEP and the Enforcement Authority during the next CFP meeting. (FIS/MP).-

Argentina sets scallop TAC for this year

Argentina's Federal Fisheries Council (CFP) established a new total allowable catch (TAC) for Patagonian scallop (Zygochlamis patagonica) until 31 December 2005 with the purpose of ensuring sustainable exploitation and long term conservation.

The new catch limits were set after analysing the technical evaluation report on the Patagonian scallop biomass in the Southern Management Unit (USM), made by the National Institute of Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP).

CFP members have agreed on an 857-tonne TAC for the San Blas bed, and a 1,167-tonne TAC for the SW Tango B bed, both within the USM, for whole commercial size Patagonian scallop over a one-year period, which they consider as of 1 January 2005.

Moreover CFP Resolution 2/2005 sets a 7,345-tonne TAC for the so-called Off Southern Management Area (FUSM), for the whole of 2005.

As for the Valdés bed this year, CFP members deemed it was not convenient to set a TAC, since the catch level recommended for that area may have already been reached so a ban was imposed.

Lastly, the CFP has ruled out the INIDEP proposal to set a provisional TAC for the SAO bed, claiming that this was not possible, given the lack of biomass estimation for this particular scallop bed. (FIS/MP).-

Proposal for more fishing permits to fight unemployment

To address the occupational crisis affecting jobs, the Patagonian province of Chubut Executive sent a bill to the province's legislature granting five additional fishing permits for fresh-fish vessels to processing plants based in the city of Comodoro Rivadavia.

The initiative represents an exemption to Law N° 4,431, which declared the provincial fishing activity emergency and cancelled licencing, wrote Chubut Governor Das Neves in a memo presenting the bill to the legislature.

"These permits will only be granted for deep-sea fresh fish vessels, targeting common hake (Merluccius hubbsi). Their fishing quotas are stipulated by the national authority for its application, thus preventing the increase of the fishing effort on this type of species," states the memo.

According to Das Neves, the granting of the licences would generate genuine jobs in processing plants located in the city of Comodoro Rivadavia "which would guarantee, the immediate increase in direct jobs and employment".

The document signed by the governor of Chubut also points out that "the fishing permits granting conditions in this bill should be subject to regulations to be drafted, contemplating an equal distribution of fishing permits among Comodoro Rivadavia processing plants, reports the newspaper Crónica.

The proposal submitted by the governor emerged some days after the country's Fisheries Undersecretary Gerardo Nieto expressed concerns over provincial decisions to increase the number of licences as "a solution for social problems".

"These measures complicate the fisheries transformation process and there should be a mechanism for normalisation" Mr. Nieto told La Nación.

According to sources from the Federal Fisheries Undersecretariat the highest increase of permits was registered in the provinces of Chubut and Buenos Aires. However Mr. Nieto admits he lacks clear and detailed information on the issue as "there is no accurate data regarding how many licenses were issued". (FIS/MP).-