“The Southwest Atlantic is the largest body of water in the in the world without a RFMO (regional fisheries management organization) and that’s something the Falkland Islands are very keen to see put in place,” said James Bates, Executive Secretary from the Falkland Islands Fishing Companies Association at the 2024 Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona, Spain this week.
The Falkland Islands Fishing Companies Association, (FIFCA) hosted a reception at the Historic Dockyard Museum in Stanley on Thursday the 31st May to launch their new website and promotional video. In attendance were invited guests that included HE the Governor Mr Nigel Phillips CBE along with Members of the Legislative Assembly, representatives of the Falkland Islands Government Fisheries Department, FIFCA members as well as the local media and press outlets.
Falkland Islands fishing companies may have attended the Brussels Seafood Show intermittently for over a decade, but the looming specter of Brexit lent this year’s attendance unprecedented significance. For James Bates, Falkland Islands Fishing Companies Association (FIFCA) Executive Secretary, Brexit gave the industry’s stand at the show a clear mandate this year, “it was about being visible at a time when we need to be.”
Exchanges of information between the Falkland Islands and Argentina about fish and squid stocks could begin again before the middle of this year, if all parties are in agreement. Director of Natural Resources John Barton said: “Dialogue with Argentina on the conservation of shared marine resources has the potential to allow for better management of shared fish stocks and improve sustainability of such stocks.”