The president of Argentina's Chamber of Jiggers Fishing Vessels Ship-owners, Juan Redini, gave some alarming figures on squid catches in the South Atlantic during a presentation at Monday's cephalopod conference held in Vigo, Spain sponsored by FAO and the Conxemar frozen seafood exhibition.
Only a few jiggers are still operating in the South Atlantic while the bulk of the Argentine fleet has already finished one of its worst squid (Illex argentinus) seasons. According to figures from Ministry of Agro Industry, until last August 8 a total of 56,159 tons of Illex had been landed.
Argentina reports poor results from the current Illex squid season and does not discard an anticipated closure if catches fail to recover. The president of the Argentine Chamber of Jigger Fishing Shipowners (CAPA), Juan Redini confirmed to the portal Pescare that only five to six vessels remain operational between parallels 40° and 42°, but with erratic course and catches.
Argentina's Under Secretariat of Fisheries reported that landings between January first and 30 April plummeted19.3% but exports in the first quarter achieved significant growth in foreign currency: 16.2%, with a slight increase in volume 1.7%. The poor landings are attributed to a “terrible” squid season, while the jump in export value was supported by extraordinary sales of shrimp.