MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Squid prospecting to begin 18 July in the northern zone

The National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP) recommended to the Federal Fisheries Council (CFP) to launch, next 18 July, the prospecting of Argentine shortfin squid (Illex argentinus) in the northern area of the Argentine fishing ground, which also includes the Common Fishing Zone (ZOCOPES) shared by Argentina and Uruguay.

The Squid Prospecting Plan, introduced by the INIDEP, was passed unanimously by the CFP and proposes to research squid stocks for eight days in the area between parallels 37° S and 43° 15' S, and the isobaths of 50 and 100 metres, approximately.

Given the fact that the prospecting includes sectors that lay within the ZOCOPES, the Argentine representatives in the Maritime Front Mixed Gear Commission will be asked to make the required negotiations to carry out the assessment in those areas.

Each vessel that has been assigned to take part in the prospecting should take an observer onboard to control the activity carried out.

To ensure a rational exploitation of squid, CFP members agreed to establish a squid by?catch for trawlers equivalent to 20 per cent of total catches per fishing trip. This by?catch should be monitored permanently to analyse the convenience of continuing with the adopted measure.

This decision was taken as result of evidence that squid's geographical distribution coincides with common hake's, which is the trawlers' targeted species. It has also been confirmed that these are not spawning or juvenile specimens but mature ones that would be caught by a third party outside the Argentine EEZ in any case.

Squid is one of the main species of commercial value for the Argentine fishery, together with hake and shrimp. (FIS)