MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina launches a month assessment of Illex squid along the Patagonian shelf

The cruise will be done onboard the fisheries research vessel Victor Angelescu

Argentina this week launched a month long cruise assessment of the sub-Patagonic squid, Illex Argentinus, on board the Ocean Fisheries Research Vessel, Victor Angelescu. The area of research will extend between parallels 46 and 51 degrees south.

Scientists and marine biologists will try to confirm the distribution and concentration areas of the sub-Patagonic stock along the Patagonia sea shelf and trench along a band at 100/500 isobaths. The biomass and abundance will be checked by the sweeping method, as well as determining distribution and abundance linked to summer spawning.

Biological samples of squid will be analyzed to help determine environment parameters of temperature and salinity, for an oceanographic diagnosis of the researched area, helping to estimate abundance and distribution of summer stocks.

Finally the Argentine National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development, INIDEP, based in Mar del Plata, points out the significance of this week’s scientific cruise, the first of which was accomplished back in 1994.

In related news Argentine opposition is demanding the Foreign Affairs ministry requests detailed information from the governments of UK and Spain regarding the “Golden Chicha”, (FK0512 sent from Vigo to the South Atlantic (Falklands), “to assess the volumes of squid in the Malvinas zone, following the frustrated season of 2024 winter”.