MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Global common hake campaign begins

Scientists and technicians of the National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development are to begin a study on common hake to determine the resource total biomass between parallels 34º 30' S and 48º S, and evaluate its abundance and distribution by age and size.

The study, deemed as the most important of the year, will be carried out onboard the oceanographic vessels Oca Balda and Eduardo Holmberg.

The Oca Balda will operate in the area located to the north of parallel 41º S, where it will operate for around 30 days.

The southern zone will be in charge of the Holmberg. The studies in this area have been estimated to last more than 50 days, due to the fact that it is the most important area where the bulk of the hake specimens are caught.

During the 2004 campaign, the study was not completed because the area between parallels 41º S and 44º S was not prospected as a result of the mechanical problems registered in the Holmberg.

This prospecting results are considered essential to establish the hake exploitation conditions and determining its maximum allowable catch (MAC).

Meanwhile, the Federal Fisheries Council (CFP) decided 14 July to postpone, until its next meeting, the discussion of the resolution project to set the 2005 MACs for the main commercial species.

The delay in setting of MACs was chiefly due to the repeated protest measures imposed by INIDEP workers during 2005. These measures also hampered the normal undertaking of research campaigns and subsequent submission of technical reports that comprise recommendations for management of various fisheries, including hake.

"We are dealing with the resolution project half way through the year. This is wrong, we cannot offer companies the chance to make a forecast on the activities", said the Buenos Aires Fisheries undersecretary, Oscar Fortunato, in statements to the Mar del Plata press.

Fortunato stated that "the ideal situation would be that the executives are able to plan their work and investment outline as early as January already knowing how much they could expect from the fishery in the following months." Otherwise, it would be convenient to change the current system, he suggested. (FIS)