MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina: Toothfish TAC set

A quota of 3,250 tonnes is set for toothfish this year, 30 per cent more than last (Photo FIS)

Argentine Federal Fisheries Council (CFP) established the total allowable catch (TAC) for toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) of 3,250 tonnes for the current year.

According to Resolution 10/2010, published in the Official Bulletin of 7 July, the new rules may be reviewed by the CFP and, if necessary, supplemented or modified from the information and recommendations of the National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP).

The measure was taken to ensure the conservation, protection and management of the resource in the long term.

The CFP took into account the recommendations of the experts at INIDEP on the biologically acceptable catch (BAC) of Patagonian toothfish in 2010.

Last year, the BAC of the species was set at 2,500 tonnes.

According to data provided by the Subsecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MINAGRI), between 1 January and 2 July, 2010, 655.8 tonnes of Patagonian toothfish were landed in Argentine ports, 21.3 per cent less than in 2009 when 833 tonnes were landed.

The port of Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego) had the largest landings with 579.5 tonnes of the resource, and in second place was Puerto Madryn (Chubut), with 51.5 tonnes.

It was followed by the port terminals of Mar del Plata (Buenos Aires), with 19.3 tonnes, and Bahía Blanca (Buenos Aires), with 4.4 tonnes, among other ports.

The Subsecretariat also indicated that between 1 January and 2 July, 2010 the fleet which produced the highest level of catches was the longline fleet, with 550.8 tonnes.

Trawling vessels were located in second place, with 80.5 tonnes of Patagonian toothfish, followed by surimero vessels, with 23.4 tonnes, and fresh fish vessels, with 1.1 tonnes. (FIS)