MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Common hake landings pegged at more than 75,000 tonnes

Up to the first week of April, 75,218 tonnes of common hake (Merluccius hubbsi) were landed at Argentine maritime ports.

Of the total catches, 73,579 tonnes were obtained in waters south of parallel 41º S, whereas the remainder comes from the northern stocks, reported the National Undersecretariat of Fisheries' National Directorate of Fisheries Co-ordination.

Among the main ports that received common hake catches, the Port of Mar del Plata ranks first, with more than 50 per cent of catches, followed by Puerto Madryn, and Comodoro Rivadavia, with lower volumes.

Should the catch level remain similar to that of the first quarter of 2006, the total allowable catch (TAC) is estimated to be enough for the fleet to maintain a regular operation level until the end of the year.

According to Resolution 90/05, the government set a 380,000-tonne common hake TAC based on the quota allocated to each vessel, whereas provinces with maritime coastlines were allocated a social quota, whose distribution is the responsibility of the respective provincial administrations.

In this context, representatives of some of the local chambers of commerce and Patagonian ports have requested authorities to increase individual quotas, in order to ensure the regularity of their operations.

In this respect, National Undersecretary of Fisheries Gerardo Nieto explained about a week ago that current hake quotas are to be maintained at least until the results of the recent surveys on the resource are evaluated .

"It is necessary that we keep a satisfactory and organised course of operation, aimed first at achieving resource sustainability and, second, at having an adequate revenue system that would allow for adequate profit margins and a rational exploitation of the resource," said the undersecretary in a recent statement in the City of Comodoro Rivadavia.

As a comparative data, between 1 January and 20 April 2004, vessels with the commercial fishing fleet landed 91,256 tonnes of common hake, of which 80,462 tonnes were caught south of parallel 41º S, whereas the rest came from stocks located north of that parallel. (FIS)