Argentina’s Federal Fisheries Council, (CFP), has decided to extend the deadline for fishing companies interested in presenting projects for the incorporation of jiggers to the authorised fleet, which currently consists of 85 vessels.
The Falkland Islands government has issued a high number of licenses for the 2012 Ilex season with almost a hundred jiggers operating which compares positively to previous years, according to the Director of Natural Resources John Barton.
Argentina’s Federal Fisheries Council (CFP) ordered the temporary cancellation of jiggers’ dispatches because of the low catches of squid (Illex argentinus) registered by the five vessels operating south of latitude 44°.
Spanish jiggers operating in the South Atlantic with Falkland Islands licences complain they are been harassed by the Argentine Navy just a few miles away from the port of Montevideo where they call for discharging, maintenance and bunkering.
Encouraging expectations for the Illex argentinus squid season appear to be fading in Argentina. Following a start with good catches and high expectations, the average daily output of squid is now only around five tons in the area between parallels 44º and 46º South Atlantic.