MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina could extend “biological shutdowns” to conserve hake

INIDEP research cruises show a dramatic drop in hake juveniles

Argentina is reassessing measures for the conservation of common hake resources and could extend the so called “biological shutdowns” which force the fleet to remain in port for a determined period of time, according to Norberto Yauhar, head of the Argentine fisheries and aquaculture Sub-secretariat.

“We are studying the matter and we thought of extending the biological shutdown for the trawlers” as one of possible measures to try and recover the resource said Yauhar.

Currently the fresh fish vessels are obliged to remain in port 50 days per year, and freezer vessels, 75 days. Periods can be split up for both categories.

But Yauhar was plain clear that there is no possibility of modifying the common hake catch quota set for 2010 of 338,000 tons.

”Under no circumstances will we shift the total allowable catch (TAC),” declared the Sub Secretary to Cronica. Nevertheless, he felt “encouraged” because the biological condition for common hake “is good” with volumes stabilized.

“There are climate, water temperature reasons that make hake move towards other places where it had not been before” said Yahuar based on data from the National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development, INIDEP.

Additionally INIDEP experts did not observe any anomalies in oceanographic conditions -- temperature, salinity, sea bottom and dissolved oxygen -- evaluated last January in San Jorge Gulf waters, even when the breeding grounds of common hake located in the Gulf show alarming signs.

INIDEP Technical Report 9/2010 reveals that the abundance index of juveniles fell on average 60% last year.

”The value of the index for the group age 2 (24 -32 centimetres) in 2010 registered a fall of 69% with respect to 2009, remaining at a level similar to that of 2008,” reads the INIDEP text. (FIS/MP).-