MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands’ readies new grenadier commercial fishery

Fisheries Director John Barton wishes to set a TAC of 3.300 tons.

Enough studies have taken place to include a new grenadier (Macrourus spp.) fishery in the Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) system under the commercial category, said Falkland Islands Director of Fisheries John Barton.

Research has been conducted for the past three years in the form of exploratory fishing and surveys of grenadier, with the latest having been completed this year.

Barton wishes to set the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) at 3,300 tonnes, Penguin News reports.

“While at the top of the range it still represents a precautionary approach, as a couple of assumptions were made which are likely to result in biomass being underestimated,” he wrote to the Fisheries Department.

Setting an appropriate TAC from the start is substantially important even though it can be altered on a yearly basis.

“An excessively high TAC would result in early reductions in TAC which would impact negatively on anyone investing in what they thought was going to be a larger business,” he explained.

“A reduction would also impact negatively on anyone who purchases a lot of quota in any allocation of ITQ by tender. Similarly, an excessively low TAC could result in significant increases in TAC,” Barton continued.

Byron Holdings Ltd/Nores Marine vessels were utilised for the grenadier surveys and exploratory fishing. They would receive 40% of the TAC for free, being the “pioneering company” under the present allocation policy.

Nevertheless, “the indicative allocation is neither sensible nor reasonable, or fair return on the huge investment made, and constitutes a severe body blow to three years of otherwise successful and expensive commitment” contended Lewis Clifton, a representative of Byron.

In turn, Stuart Wallace, an industry representative, doubted the appropriateness of Clifton’s complaint. According to Wallace’s point of view, this was a new opportunity and the matter had already been talked about with the Falkland Islands Fishing Companies Association (FIFCA). (PN).-