MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine experiences steep slide in fish landings in first half of 2009

Hake and squid remain as Argentine fisheries main catches.

A total of 393.209,7 tons of seafood was landed in Argentine high seas ports between January first and 27th. July 2009, which represents 36.1% less than the 614.850 tons of the fist half of 2008.

Of the total landings 306.716,2 tons were of fish; 62.026,3 tons of molluscs and 24.467,2 tons of crustaceans, according to the latest release from the Argentine Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food (SAGP&A).

The largest landings in volume are of common hake ( Merluccius hubbsi), totalling 144.141,4 tons or 8.8% less than in the same period of 2008 when 158.008,6 tons were landed.

Squid (Illex) held second place with 56.232 tonnes, a figure that represents a 76.1% drop compared to the 234.743,2 tons landed between 1 January and 31 July 2008.

This was followed by hoki (Macruronus magellanicus) with 52.321,9 tons; stingray (Potamotrygon brachyura), 11.601,2 tons; golden kingclip (Genypterus blacodes), 11.031 tons; and South American striped weakfish (Cynoscion striatus), 8.103,5 tons.

Other key landings included 10,237.2 tons of white-mouth croaker (Micropogonias furnieri); 4.637,6 tons of narrownose smooth-hound (Mustelus schmitti); 3.815 tons of common seabream (Pagrus pagrus); 3.611,1 tons of Patagonian flounder (Paralichthys patagonicus) and 3.512,4 tons of tadpole codling (Salilota australis).

Regarding molluscs, 5.667,8 tons of scallops ( Zygochlamys patagonica) and crustaceans, 24.200 tons of Argentine red shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri).

Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires province, remained as leading domestic port for seafood landings with 211.191,9 tons. Port Madryn, Chubut, followed with 63.302 tons. Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, landed 50.409,4 tons; Port Deseado, Santa Cruz, 19.495,8 tons and Commodore Rivadavia, Chubut, with 8.884,2 tons.

The fresh fish fleet reported the largest landings in the six month period with 121.473 tons, according to the SAGP&A release. This was followed by the trawler fleet, 107.721 tons; the squid jigger fleet, 47.445,5 tons and coastal vessels with 44.349,3 tons. (FIS/MP).-