MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine seafood landings drop 7.1% in first half of 2015; squid, 24.1%

Landings of common hake (Merluccius hubbsi) totaled 116.873 tons, figure which shows a decrease of 3% over that last year (120,451.7 tons).

Argentine seafood landings fell by 7.1% in the first half of this year compared to the same period of 2014, according to the latest statistics from the country's Under Secretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Squid catches were down 24.1%.

 In the first six months of this year 383,106.4 tons of seafood resources were landed, compared to 412,420.2 tons a year earlier.

The resources that recorded lower landings were those of mackerel (Scomber japonicus), with 126.8 tons and a fall of 54.3% year on year; and the white croaker (Micropogonias furnieri) with 9,646.9 tons and a drop of 41.4%.

Landings of common hake (Merluccius hubbsi) totaled 116.873 tons, figure which shows a decrease of 3% over that last year (120,451.7 tons).

Squid (Illex argentinus), one of Argentina's fishing industry main catches, suffered a decrease of 21.4%, falling from 153,349.3 tons to 120,509.3 tons.

The resource that experienced the highest increase was the anchovy (Engraulis anchovy), with catches soaring from 103 tons in the first half of 2014 to 5,537.8 tons in the same period this year.

Shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri) landings also increased although at a moderate pace (6.2%): from 35,217.1 tons in the first half of 2014 to 38,217.1 tons this year.

Records on other species indicate that Patagonian smoothhound (Mustelus schmitti) catches climbed from 1,958.1 to 2,191.9 tons (11.9%); Southern whiting (Micromesistius australis), from 4,187.5 to 4,613.8 tons (10.2%); Red snapper (Sparus pagrus) from 1,950.1 to 2,133.5 tons (9.4%) and Argentine sea bass (Acanthistius brasiliensis), 541.3 to 830.5 tons (53.4%). (FIS).-