MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine seminar of South Atlantic fishery challenges and the “Malvinas Question”

Carmona opened the seminar on the “Current situation of fishery resources in the South Atlantic”, which last week attracted an audience of some 350 people

The legal and political challenges in the South Atlantic fishery, particularly those related to the fishing activities neighboring Argentina's EEZ, and implications of the Falklands/Malvinas Question were the central discussion of a seminar held at the Argentine foreign ministry.

The seminar, “Current situation of fishery resources in the South Atlantic”, which last week attracted an audience of some 350 people was organized by the Malvinas, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands Secretariat of the foreign ministry, Guillermo Carmona, in the framework of “Argentina's Interests in the Sea Day”, and the regular multi discipline agenda meetings of the “Blue Pampa” project.

Carmona head of the ambitious Malvinas, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands Desk opened the seminar underlining the importance of the Argentine maritime spaces in the South Atlantic as it is one of the world's main fisheries, and because of its biodiversity and the richness of its living resources which makes it a strategic area for Argentina.

Carmona then went on to emphasize the legal and political challenges in the South Atlantic and the intense activity along the borderline of the EEZ, and the need to have State policies that ensure conservation and the sustainability of fishery resources which belong to “all Argentines”.

And in this scenario a preponderant place belongs to the Malvinas Question, and the “illegitimate occupation by the United Kingdom of Argentine national territory, directly linked to illegal fishing and its consequences” for a development project focused in the sea and its resources

The moderator of the seminar was Marcelo Balbi, Coordinator of Oceanic and South Atlantic policies, and the list of speakers included Gabriela Gonzalez Trilla head of Water Environment and Aquatic ecosystems, and the head of the Protected Marine Areas in National Parks, both from the Environment and Sustainable Development ministry.

Likewise the head of the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, Oscar Padín; the director of Maritime Interests from the Argentine Navy, Commodore Enrique Balbi; Coordinator of the Inter-disciplinary Team for the control of Maritime Spaces and Resources, Retired Coast Guard chief Sergio Almada; Technical Secretary of the inter-government Naval Hydrographic Service (COI-UNESCO) Captain Ariel Troisi and Ramiro Sánchez from the Maritime Front Mixed Technical Commission, Ramiro Sánchez.