Ambassador Javier Figueroa at the X Expo Comodoro Rivadavia

How Argentina seeks to mitigate fishing in international waters

ARGENTINA
Friday, November 29, 2024, 02:00 (GMT + 9)

Within the framework of the X Expo Comodoro Conocimiento, Ambassador Javier Figueroa¹, who until very recently was in charge of the Argentine embassy in the United Kingdom, presented the initiatives that Argentina is developing around mile 201. These include the search for joint policies with countries such as China, South Korea, Taiwan and Spain, as well as strategies to "avoid the drag zone."

The exhibition, which had special coverage by Grupo La Opinión Austral, closed with great success in the oil city. Among the highlighted activities was the block entitled "Economy of the sea," focused on the analysis of the alternatives that deep waters offer for regional development.

The Argentine Sea according to the definition of the Argentine Foreign Ministry and the Argentine National Constitution

The problems in the Argentine Exclusive Economic Zone

During the event, held at the Comodoro Rivadavia fairgrounds, one of the talks addressed the current situation of Argentine fishing and the reality at the limits of the Argentine Exclusive Economic Zone (ZEEA). A large international fleet operates there that exploits fishing resources without regulation.

To analyze this problem, the Comodoro Conocimiento Agency, dependent on the municipality, invited Javier Figueroa, advisor to the Coordination of Oceanic Policy and South Atlantic, to speak.

“There are incorrect perceptions about what happens in the hottest fishing zone outside the 200 mile. It does not cover the entire Argentine coast, but rather goes from parallel 42 to 48 south, where hundreds of foreign vessels concentrate every year,” he explained.

He also pointed out:

“There is a view that this area is catastrophic, uncontrolled and full of almost pirate ships that steal fish illegally. It is important to make a good diagnosis so as not to take wrong measures.”

Figueroa stressed that there is no illegal fishing within the EEZ, since these ships do not enter the 200 mile mark, which is national territory. However, by operating in international waters, this is unregulated and undocumented fishing, a challenge recognized by international law.

Fishing in international waters

Figueroa explained that, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the rights of States decrease as they move away from their coasts:

• Up to 12 nautical miles: it is territorial sea, with full sovereignty over living marine resources, sediments, airspace and offshore.
• Up to 200 miles: corresponds to the EEZ, where the State has exclusive sovereignty over the water column, the continental shelf and the subsoil.
• Beyond 200 miles: the State retains exclusive rights over subsoil resources (minerals, oil) and over sedentary marine species, such as scallops, crabs and lobsters.

The Argentine challenge

Figueroa pointed out that in the water column of international waters, where freedom of fishing prevails, there are no clear regulations for catches. According to international law, the regulation of these activities should be managed through conventions on straddling species and the creation of regional fishing organizations.

However, Argentina faces an obstacle: its historical dispute over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.

“Our country cannot advance in this type of organization because it would imply legitimizing the United Kingdom² as a coastal state, which would be unacceptable.”

The map of Argentina's claims. Argentina has important territorial and maritime claims: in Antarctica, the Falklands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islandsr. (Photo: EOM - El Orden Mundial)

Key species and the impact on resources

Figueroa stressed that the presence of international fleets does not represent, for now, a critical risk for Argentina's fishing stocks.

“The most visible resource is squid. Every year, about 300 jiggers operate in the area, both inside and outside the EEZ. It is a species that completes its life cycle in one year. Its conservation depends on leaving a sufficient spawning mass at the end of the season to ensure the regeneration of the stocks.”

This management has made it possible to avoid the collapse of the fishery, although he warned that species such as black hake and pollock face a more critical situation.

Future perspectives

Figueroa's intervention at the X Expo Comodoro Conocimiento underlined the need for sustainable strategies to manage fishing resources in international waters, avoiding falling into simplistic or ineffective solutions. He also stressed the importance of working on international agreements that guarantee the equitable use of resources, without compromising Argentina's sovereign interests.

N. del E:

1- Ambassador Javier Figueroa is one of the few diplomats in the Foreign Ministry with some knowledge of fishing in Argentina, since he was, for some time, the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before the Consejo Federal Pesquero.

2-As far as we understand, the UK government only provides diplomatic and military support to the Falkland Islands government.

Everything related to natural resources, fishing quotas, licenses, supervision of fishing operations and bans is 100% the responsibility of local authorities. Therefore the UK has no direct relationship with fishing within the Falkland Islands area.

Responsibility of the Falkland Islands Government includes:

• Issuing fishing licenses
• Setting fishing quotas
• Monitoring and enforcing fishing regulations

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