MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina tightening poaching control in South Atlantic

Argentina is beefing up patrolling in the South Atlantic to catch poachers and prevent the 201 mile plus “hundreds of vessels” from intruding into Argentine waters, report two journalists from Clarín who were invited on board a coast guard vessel on duty in the zone.

However the task in the huge Mar Argentino has also a "geopolitical" ingredient and that is the "illegitimate" fishing licenses extended by the Falklands to fish in the zone surrounding Malvinas, says Clarin. To reach the border line of Argentina's exclusive economic zone takes two days sailing on the coast guard Prefecto Fique and just across the line "are 120 vessels from Europe and Asia in waiting". According to the article an estimated 40 Argentine flagged jiggers are in the zone and on the "other side" 120 Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese and Spanish jiggers ready to go after the straddling stocks even if it means crossing the line. Night comes and the coast guard radar screen shows a high density of spots on the "other side" compared to this side (Argentina's EEZ), "a three to one rate". But jiggers also have radars and are aware the "little pigeon" is around. The warning is transmitted in different languages from vessel to vessel since if any is caught "they end up stamped on the side of the Fique" which has painted on its hull all the "poachers" caught during its 22 year service. Fique accounts for eleven poacher catches out of the 60 that have been arrested since 1983 by the Argentine Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force. The last of which, in 2006, was the "English vessel John Cheek", licensed by the Falkland Islanders (kelpers). Last December Clarin had advanced that the Argentine government was planning to reinforce patrolling of illegal fishing by foreigners and it was even suggested "boarding suspicious vessels in the immediate plus mile 201 zone", which so far has not happened. That apparently was to be the reaction of the Argentine government to claims from the fishing sector that depressed squid international prices, loss of profitability plus the 5 to 10% export taxes on fisheries and "slave labor" in Asian jiggers had wiped out the competitive edge of the Argentine fishing industry. Last year Argentine squid catches reached 232.000 tons but foreigners on the plus mile 201, "more than doubled that volume". Sometimes the squid is on the Argentine EEZ and that's when all patrolling resources have to be alert and ready for the "poacher catch", points out the article. But this season as the myriad of jigger lights on the sea blend with the stars, most of the squid has chosen to be on the "other side" Fique sails up and down along the 200 miles line but no intruders are sighted or detected. Early in the morning a fisheries air patrol flies over and confirms that 46 vessels are operating between miles 210 and 240, latitudes 45o.20' and 47o07'. The Argentine South Atlantic fisheries interests are protected under the 24 hours Fishing Activities Integrated Control System which is made up of the five provinces with coast: Buenos Aires, Rio Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego, plus the Navy and the Coast Guard which keep track of fleets operating in the area. For that they have the support of five aircrafts, two frigates and the coast guard vessels. Clarin sums up saying that the South Atlantic squid is an annual one billion US dollars business. Poachers are fined but if they resist or choose to flee and are caught the vessel and the haul are forfeited. The article also mentions that Argentina's registered fishing vessel adds up to 652, which is a "modest" number for the Mar Argentino, if compared with 15.000 from Italy and 40.000 from China, some of which operating as far away as in the South Atlantic.