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Argentina evaluates changes to vessel sanction system; Chile promotes jumbo squid extraction in Region V.

Argentina evaluates changes to vessel sanction system

Authorities of Argentina's National Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture (DNPyA) will summon a multi-sector committee aimed at evaluating potential changes to the sanctions system on fishing vessels operating in Argentine waters.

Given several complaints raised by the Argentine Fisheries Industry Chamber (CAIPA) political and industrial authorities will evaluate the possibility of developing specific rules to sanction false fishing reports on species and catch volumes as well as undersized specimens.

"Many times, incidents that did not prompt onboard inspectors to draft statements were solved through presumptions based on fishing reports" explained Mariano Pérez, manager of the chamber, reported Pescare.

Members of the Federal Fisheries Council (CFP) were briefed last week on CAPIAs note, addressed to the Undersecretariat of Fisheries, in relation to the procedures.

CFP had already received similar notes during June, which motivated its members to meet with authorities of the DNCP Summary Division "to analyse the different situations caused by the actions of the fishing fleet, in order to define applicable criteria."

Thus CFP decided to ask the Enforcement Authority "to summon the Committee as soon as possible in order to solve these problems". (FIS/MP).

Chile promotes jumbo squid extraction in Region V

Chile's Fisheries Undersecretariat (SUBPESCA) signed a technical and financial support agreement with Technical Service (SERCOTEC) to promote jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas) fishing efforts in the Chilean V Region.

Under the agreement, SUBPESCA will allocate an estimated quarter of a million US dollars to be managed and distributed by SERCOTEC with the purpose of subsidizing catches. Jumbo squid which is abundant along the Chilean coastline is considerably affecting the availability of hake, a resource on which jumbo squid feeds.

The money will be allocated monthly as of this week until the end of 2005, proportional to the size of the fleets operating with the artisanal fishing organisations in Region V.

The agreement signed by the Undersecretary of Fisheries Felipe Sandoval, and SERCOTEC general manager Patricio Fernández, is part of the 2005 "Plan for the Support of the Artisanal Fisheries Sector in the Valparaiso Region".

SUBPESCA sources said that for the plan's implementation, SERCOTEC -through its Valparaiso Regional Directorate- will select those coastal fishermen organisations that have been most affected by the "hake crisis". (FIS/MP).-