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Subsecretary of Fishery, Carlos Liberman (Photo: Revista Puerto)
Management plan and fines for offenders in the shrimp fishery
ARGENTINA
Monday, August 30, 2021, 02:40 (GMT + 9)
We spoke with the Undersecretary of Fisheries about the measures to be taken based on the alerts issued. The increase in fishing effort was pointed out by INIDEP as an alarm signal and the treatment of catches worries the business sector.
In recent weeks, a series of news regarding shrimp management has generated concern. The INIDEP technical report was first known in which the increase in fishing effort was exposed, being the highest in the last four seasons, both in terms of the number of boats and trips. In addition, it was announced that the operating standards that guarantee a responsible management of the resource are not being complied with in the weetfish vessels. This news was linked at the same time with complaints of poor quality of the shrimp that reaches land, which leads to a high discard at the plant. The situation requires urgent measures to curb practices that could put the resource and the business at risk. Although the last minutes of the Federal Fisheries Council did not reflect the discussion that took place around these problems, the Undersecretary of Fisheries, Carlos Liberman, confirmed to Revista Puerto that it was one of the central issues.
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Photo: courtesy Revista Puerto
“Until last week we had unloaded 141 thousand tons; Compared to the same period in 2018, the year with the highest catches, we are 2 thousand tons above it, ” says the official, highlighting the good yields that have been obtained. But he recognizes that some situations have been generated at the same time that deserve to be analyzed because the higher captures could also be reflecting unwanted situations.
"In the Council we discussed this issue in depth and decided to meet a greater number of times to promptly discuss the review of the management measures and work on a contingency plan to foresee what to do in a scenario of lower catches," said Carlos Liberman when asked about the actions that will be carried out to reverse this Olympic fishing scenario.
Among the management measures that will be reviewed is the weight and type of crates that will be used to stow the shrimp on board in the weetfish vessels: “The issue of the use of the boxes will be reviewed in the Council. It was determined in 2018 that bringing boxes with 17 kilos conditioned was the best measure to preserve the quality of the shrimp; now we will have to see if the measure was the most appropriate, " said the official.
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Photo: courtesy Revista Puerto
Another issue that is on the table again is the time of departure from the port that must be established for the weetfish vessels, depending on the impact on the resource and a more adequate treatment of the product. "There was a lot of discussion about the hours of removal and we should continue to discuss what is the appropriate time," said Liberman.
The limitations of the effective fishing time that the weetfish vessels will be allowed, and of catches per day, are matters that will be addressed by the Federal Fisheries Council at the next meeting. Another issue that he assured will be dealt with in the coming weeks will be the continuity of the reformulations, being one of the important points of the management plan that finally seems to have been implemented.
.jpg) Regarding the irregularities that are being committed during this season and that require an urgent solution, the Undersecretary reported that they are working on the analysis of the tides and that offenders have already been identified.
“The Directorate of Fisheries is working hard, Julián Rodríguez told me that 262 trips have been analyzed and 40 anomalies have already been detected for which summaries are being worked out that will continue their process and fines will be applied. The modification that was made to the sanctions regime was also made for this, they are measured in fishing units that today are at 70 pesos and are being updated, so it does not seem a good choice to resort to a judicial process to delay the payment. One of the irregularities that were found was not complying with the time allowed for the duration of the tide ”, he advanced.
In relation to the complaints that have been received from boats fishing at night, the Undersecretary pointed out that they have filming, but that it is still necessary to determine the time, “because in winter in Argentine Patagonian region both at 7 in the morning and at 7 afternoon is night, "he clarified.
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Photo: courtesy Revista Puerto
Without cameras or inspectors, it is very complex to determine if the boats make a set before all the previous load went to the hold, if the towing time was longer than allowed or if it was dragged at a higher speed than that established in the regulations. The lack of technological and human resources is presented as a problem to be solved by the authorities.
In this sense, Liberman announced that a staff of twenty-five female inspectors will be incorporated in the Argentine Patagonian region, “because although there is an important staff in the city of Mar del Plata, in the south, where the shrimp fishery is developed, it cannot be covered properly ”.
The decision that they be women responds not only to complying with the female quota but also to taking a step from the Argentine State in the incorporation of women in the fishing industry, according to the Undersecretary. The squad is being formed and will surely be incorporated for the next season, developing tasks both on land and on board.
But not only will a greater number of inspectors be required to correct irresponsible behavior, given that the entire fleet cannot be covered and in many vessels it will be practically impossible to embark inspectors. What is needed, in addition, as happened with the freezer fleet in the early 2000s, is that the weetfish vessels assumes the responsibility of working as established by the regulations.
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Photo: courtesy Revista Puerto
Along these lines, Carlos Liberman pointed out: “I have spoken with many companies, with the chambers and with the unions because this is everyone's problem. So that we can fish a lot, export generating foreign exchange for the country and continue generating employment, we all have to work well. I have told them that I appeal to responsibility in order to achieve it ”.
Regarding the ordinance proposals that are being analyzed by several companies, he pointed out that so far they have not received any formally; And although he considered that it is important for each sector to state what it considers best to manage the resource, he does not lose sight of the fact that each one has its interests.
One of the important points raised by companies is the poor quality of the product that reaches land. The complaints about the large number of boxes that must be discarded because they contain shrimp with melanosis and a bad smell, generate concern and a significant inflow of foreign currency to Argentina.
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Photo: courtesy Revista Puerto
The official pointed out on this point that "it is necessary to say that I have also seen fresh shrimp of very good quality that has been exported, therefore, it is important not to generalize". At the same time, he indicated that to determine the quality of the shrimp that was landed, information was required from the sanitary control body: "We have asked SENASA to inform us of the number of seizures that occurred this year and we will see if they are greater or not than those of previous years, that will be an important indicator. SENASA will tell us the volume of shrimp that was not suitable for human consumption ”.
But it is difficult for this index to reflect the reality of the plants, since poor quality shrimp is labeled for the domestic market and may never have been seized. Most likely, much of it ended up in a waste treatment plant. A more precise indicator of quality could be to determine the volume of shrimp that was landed, entered the plant and that was not reflected in the export statistics.
The situation in the shrimp fishery, for the first time since the boom times began, is complicated; not for a matter of biological management, given that the methodology for opening and closing fishing areas has been praised, even by the most qualified researchers, but for a lack of control and corporate irresponsibility. In the coming weeks, as confirmed by the Undersecretary of Fisheries, concrete measures will begin to be taken on offenders to discourage bad practices and the guidelines of the Fisheries Management Plan will be defined. The report of the INIDEP researchers warning has been timely and probably decisive to save a millionaire business.
Author: Karina Fernandez y Guillermo Nahum / Revista Puerto (article available only in spanish)
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