MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina's toothfish tagging cruise between 37 and 56 degrees South Atlantic

Measuring a juvenile Dissostichus eleginoides, on the Argennova XIV

Argentina's Fisheries Research and Development Institute, INIDEP, reports that last week the vessel Argennova XIV, concluded a project for the tagging of toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides), in the South Atlantic.

The release points out that the species has an ample distribution in the south western Atlantic ocean, between 37 and 56 degrees South along the Argentine continental shelf and slope, and given the existence of further information relative to their migratory displacements and reproductive conditions, it became necessary to increase the biologic knowledge to the north sector, beginning at 42 degrees S, an area “not much visited by the fleet”.

“Tagging and recatching is a very useful tool to collect information on the species migration. During the cruise with the longliner some 47 toothfish, of up to a meter long, were tagged. Most of them were juveniles averageing 82 centimeters. The operation was done as unstressful as possible to minimize effects on the fish, underlines the report”.

Finally monitoring toothfish and living conditions in the Argentine Sea, which is undertaken with the private sector are most benefitical for the frishery that in under an Improvement Program since the beginning of the year.