MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina implements strict conservation in hake fisheries

Hake catches remain banned in the waters of the Inter-jurisdictional Area of Restricted Fishery Efforts

Argentina's Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Foods (SAGP&A) established strict limits on common hake (Merluccius hubbsi) catches with the purpose of safeguarding the species fisheries.

SAGP&A banned catches in the Inter-jurisdictional Area of Restricted Fishery Efforts and decided to redistribute the Chubut province 9.100 tons hake quota among vessels measuring less than 21 meters long and operating from Port of Rawson. Resolution 26/07, published in the Official BulletinAugust 14th modifies articles 35 and 41 from Resolution 920/06, issued last December, banning hake fishing in an area comprised by the following geographical contour: Northern border: parallel 43° 17' South; Eastern border: meridian 64° 30' West; Southern border: parallel 45° South and to the west the border of the Argentine Ocean territory The regulatory authority must also redistribute the 9.100 tons temporarily assigned to the Province of Chubut for the period extending from January first to December 31, 2007 among Rawson-based fishing vessels less than 21 meters long. The distribution points to containing "a decreased socio-economic effect that could possibly arise." Resolution 920/06 had distributed the so-called hake "social quotas" among the South Atlantic provinces as follows: 11.000 tons to Buenos Aires; 5.900 tons to Santa Cruz, and 1.500 tonnes to Rio Negro. Chubut's share of 9.100 tons was to be divided among vessels operating in the Inter-jurisdictional Area of Restricted Fishery Efforts, and another 1.500 tons to fresh fish vessels based in the province. Resolution 14/07 published in the August 2 edition of the Official Bulletinmodified eight articles from Resolution 920/06, emphasizing that Argentine fishery authorities called for the implementation of supplementary measures "with the purpose of safeguarding the species". (FIS/MP).-