MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Alleged Falklands' links sufficient motive to suspend fishing license of Tierra del Fuego company

The vessel involved in the conflict “Unidos del Sur” apparently has a fishing licence from the Falklands government awarded last year

Argentina's Tierra del Fuego provincial government decided on Wednesday to preventatively suspend Pesantar's fishing license following claims that the company is associated with another group operating in the South Atlantic but with a Falklands' government license.

 The measure had been announced by Governor Fabiana Rios in late December and has now been implemented by the Environment and Sustainable Development Secretariat.

The Secretariat opened an administrative investigation 'to establish responsibilities' and signed a resolution provisionally suspending the company's fishing licence“, according to the official release from the provincial government.

Tierra del Fuego has also sent letters to the federal government in Buenos Aires City requesting copies of the original filed claim and all documentation related to the case, to assess and act in consequence, adds the release

”Independently of whatever is decided by the federal government, the province has already taken several decisions given the seriousness of the case“.

The claim was filed at the end of last year at Argentina's Agriculture and Fisheries, and Foreign Affairs ministries, by an employee from the Pesantar company, allegedly aware of the 'illicit' procedure allowing the associated companies to benefit from licenses extended by Argentina and the Falkland Islands governments. Under Argentine law this is a crime since all companies operating in the Falklands are banned from doing so this side of the South Atlantic.

The complaint filed refers to an alleged link between the fishing company established in Ushuaia and the vessel ”Unidos del Sur“, operating in Falklands waters with a Falklands' license but no authorization from Argentina or Tierra del Fuego.

Tierra del Fuego is checking whether the vessel linked to Pesantar belongs to Emdepes, seated in Chile and is part of the Japanese group Nissui, which apparently had a 2014 Falklands license to operate in the Islands waters.

According to article 27 of Argentina's National Fisheries Bill, all fishing operators at national and provincial level must declare under oath that they have no links with companies ”illegally fishing“ and this includes those fishing companies that operate in the Falklands' EEC, 'illegally established by the British government around the Islands”.

Thus, given the existence of such statements under oath by the company involved, if the link claimed is proven, the license must be suspended and the authorized catch quotas”, concludes the Tierra del Fuego release.