MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Squid landing in Argentina in 2.5 months, lower than 2013, but still 'acceptable'

Squid landings were concentrated in Puerto Deseado

According to the latest stats from the Argentine Fisheries Under-Secretariat Office, between January first and 13 March, 2014, a total of 31,760.6 tons of squid (Illex argentinus) was landed in Argentine ports. Out of that volume, 213.3 tons correspond to January; 26,391.9 tons to February and in the first two weeks of March, 5,155.3 tons.

 A year ago in the first three months of 2013 squid landings in Argentine ports had reached 69,119.6 tons.

Even when the resource performance tends to be less dynamic, several jigger owners considered the catch level 'acceptable', according to Pescare. The jigger fleet began catching an average of 30 tons per day but the rate is down to 20 tons per day currently.

Stats show that Puerto Deseado received 13,289.5 tons of squid; landings in Mar del Plata amounted to 10,938.1 tons and in Puerto Madryn, 7,516.6 tons, among other port terminals.

Argentine industry believes that the number of Argentine flagged jiggers currently operation ranges from 50 to 60 from a total of 72 vessels licensed, including the ten recently granted by the Federal Fisheries Council (CFP) to Chinese flagged vessels.

The fisheries reports received indicate that catches are still better beyond the 200-miles of the Argentinean EEZ.

In order to have more updated information on the fishery evolution, the Argentine National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development (Inidep) last week finished the assessment on squid in the area bounded by parallels 44º and 51º latitude south, between the isobaths 100 and 500 meters.

For 22 days, Inidep scientists aboard the ship 'Eduardo Holmberg' evaluated the resource and confirmed the distribution and areas of summer concentration. In addition, they estimated the biomass and abundance in number of fish, and collected key environmental data for the fishery. (FIS).-