The catch of black hake was affected by the implementation of the Namuncurá-Banco Burdwood and Yaganes Marine Protected Areas

Argenova Urges Approval of Management Plans for Marine Protected Areas, Citing Impact on Black Hake Fishery

Argenova, a company dedicated to the capture of Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides), among other species, has formally requested the National Parks Administration and the Federal Fisheries Council to expedite the approval and enforcement of environmental management plans, particularly the fisheries management plans for the Namuncurá-Banco Burdwood and Yaganes Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). These MPAs were established by Law 27,490 in 2018, yet the legally mandated deadlines for the implementation of their management plans have long since passed, reports Revista Puerto.

The legislation that created the MPAs stipulated a maximum period of five years for these plans to come into effect. However, six years have now elapsed, and according to a note signed by Argenova's legal representative, Mauro Zamboni, “the planning instruments required by law have not yet been fully approved. This directly affects the possibility of ordering and enabling compatible productive activities, such as responsible longline fishing” for Patagonian toothfish.

Regarding the Namuncurá-Banco Burdwood MPA, while the general management plan is in force, the specific fisheries management plan for Patagonian toothfish, despite being drafted, has not been approved, and a final version has not been publicly circulated. For the Yaganes MPA, the participatory development of the general management plan has been underway since August 2024, with an expected completion date in early 2025, but it too remains unapproved. Furthermore, the drafting of the fisheries management plan for Patagonian toothfish has not even commenced, the company stated.

Argenova asserts that the absence of these regulatory instruments is negatively impacting the Patagonian toothfish fishery. “According to data from the 2010–2018 period, 33% of the Patagonian toothfish catches by longline came from the areas currently closed [within the MPAs]. This has forced the fleet to concentrate its effort in other fishing grounds, affecting the sustainability and distribution of the resource,” the company indicated.

Another consequence highlighted by Argenova is “the strengthening of foreign fishing interests (Chile and the United Kingdom via the Falkland Islands), due to the inability to adequately exploit the potential of our own jurisdictional waters” for Patagonian toothfish.

Photo: Revista Puerto/FIS

Furthermore, Argenova has communicated the sector's interest in investing in longline vessels, described as a “selective and low-impact fishing method” for species like Patagonian toothfish. However, they emphasize that this requires “clear and current regulatory frameworks that allow for the evaluation of the compatibility of this activity” within protected areas. In this context, they also requested special consideration for the vessel Argenova XIV, stating that it is the only longliner compatible with “the principles of conservation and sustainability established by current regulations and international criteria” for fishing Patagonian toothfish.

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