MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mar del Plata fish landings drop 4.5% in ten months

Fishery landing comparisons registered during the first 10 months 2006 and 2007.

Fish and shell fish landings at Mar del Plata, Argentina's main South Atlantic fishing port totalled 368.859, tons in the first ten months of the year, which represents a 4.5% drop compared to the same period a year ago.

According to Argentina's Under Secretariat for Fisheries, between January first and November 2, landings at the port of Mar del Plata equalled 280.049 tons of fish; 923.7 tons of crustacean and 87.885,6 tons of molluscs. High seas fresh fish vessels contributed 171.230 tons of fish and shellfish; coastal vessels supplied 60.014 tons; freezer trawler vessels 51.600 tons; squid jiggers, 69.508 tons and estuary/canal vessels 10.649 tons. Longliners landed at Mar del Plata 1.369,6 tonnes of fish and shellfish; and shrimp vessels 4.488 tons. April was the most productive month with 54.952,8 tons and January the less active with 21.482 tons landed. Hake (Merluccius hubbsi) was one of the species that most contributed to the drop in landings at Mar del Plata, totalling 138.375,4 tons which is 15% less than in the same period a year ago. Other species that registered declining landings were hoki (Macruronus magellanicus), with 10.394 tons; Patagonian scallops (Zygochlamys patagonica) 4.772,8 tons; Patagonian flounder (Paralichthys patagonicus) with 5.087,4 tons, among others. Landings rose for white-mouth croaker (Micropogonias furnieri), which amounted to 16.728 tons; striped weakfish (Cynoscion striatus), 13.254,7 tons and short-tailed river stingray (Potamotrygon brachyura) 20.153,6 tons. Squid (Illex argentinus) landings at Mar del Plata reached 82.762 tons, which were higher than the same period last year.(MP/FIS)