This year’s squid (Illex argentinus) season took off January first with encouraging catches in Argentina but then went sour with steady declines in volume according to the industry. However official figures show that total registered catches were up over 50%.
An overwhelming majority of EU citizens want the fish they buy to come from sources that are sustainable and not over-fished, according to an independent poll commissioned by World Wildlife Fund, WWF, and carried out in 14 EU countries.
A new system of fishery control with continent-wide, common rules and penalties is now fully operational, the European Commission said on Tuesday.
High levels of radioactive iodine and cesium were detected by Japan’s Fisheries Ministry in fish caught near the Fukushima nuclear power plant this week. Japan has responded to the findings by announcing its first legal limits for radiation in fish and said it is considering a ban on exports of some marine products.
Following on from the appearance of what appears to have been more jiggers than normal in Stanley harbour recently, Falkland Islands Director of Natural Resources John Barton says there are some 80 Illex jiggers licensed and fishing in Falkland Islands zones at present, and 88 jigging licences have been issued.
Argentine fish landings during the first two months of 2011 have dropped 30.4% compared to a year ago totalling 50.749 tons against 72.819 in 2010. Of the total volume, 40.632 tons were fisheries, 5.995 tons, molluscs and 4.121 tons crustaceans, according to the country’s Under Secretariat for Fisheries and Aquaculture.
The Spanish embassy is closely following the difficulties faced by Spanish fishing companies in the port of Montevideo, some of which have decided to stop operating in Uruguay.
The first Argentine jiggers returning to the port of Mar del Plata to land their catches are reporting good volumes of Illex Argentinus and are eager to return to sea, according to the Argentine fisheries news magazine Pescare.
Researchers at the University of British Columbia say they have the strongest evidence to date that humans are indeed “fishing down the food web,” citing data that show predatory fish such as cod, tuna, and groupers have declined by two-thirds during the past 100 years, while small forage fish such as sardines, anchovy and capelin have more than doubled over the same period.
MORE than thirty, mainly Taiwanese, jiggers crowded into Stanley Harbour early this week prior to the beginning of the Falkland Islands Illex fishery season.