MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands' dispute: claims Japanese company fished in Argentine and Islands waters

Benegas who filed the complaint met with Malvinas Affairs Department chief Daniel Filmus

The Argentine ministries of Foreign Affairs, and Agriculture and Fisheries are considering the consequences of a complaint filed in recent days by a top official from a local company (Empresa Pesquera de la Patagonia y Antártica S.A., Pesantar) warning that the vessel “Union Sur” had fished in Falkland Islands last November.

 According to the denouncer, Pesantar Operations Manager Juan Benegas, the vessel belonging to a Chilean company (Empresa de Desarrollo Pesquero de Chile S.A., Empedes), operated in Falklands' waters after sealing an agreement with Nissui Japanese group.

According to Buenos Aires daily La Nacion, the vessel obtained a fishing license from the Falklands government last year, but in parallel, the Chilean company is associated with Pesantar fishery, which has licenses to fish in Argentine waters.

After meeting with Daniel Filmus, Argentine Secretary for Malvinas Islands Affairs, Pesantar's Benegas confirmed having made a presentation to the National Under-secretariat of Fisheries, in which he reported on his serious suspicions about a possible link between Nissui and the mentioned vessel.

“I have just got out of a meeting with Filmus, who called me to say he was informed of the presentation I made to the Under-secretariat of Fisheries and that satisfied me, because he said they were already working together to clarify the situation” the businessman was quoted by Mar&Pesca.

”As a citizen I provided all the information I had, and now it's up to the Foreign Ministry and the Fisheries Under-secretariat to verify by all legal and technical means, if Pesantar and the Chilean company Emdepes, the owner of vessel Union Sur, belong to the same economic group (Nissui) and if that vessel really fished in the Falklands“, he continued.

”First and foremost I´m Argentine and I'm very proud about it”, said Benegas to Mar&Pesca when asked about the complaint.

Despite the claim, he made it clear that he is still linked to the company, since he is on holiday and has not received any dismissal telegram. If the information proves to be correct, the Japanese group would have violated Argentina's Federal Fisheries Act, which specifically bans fishing companies and groups from operating in Argentina and Falkland Islands simultaneously. (FIS).