Ayelén Fortunato, CEO of ALFA CAPEAR

The Chainsaw That the Fishing Industry Needs: Ayelén Fortunato Demands Real Deregulation to Save the Fresh Fleet

ARGENTINA
Wednesday, April 16, 2025, 19:00 (GMT + 9)

In an exclusive interview with Revista Puerto, Ayelén Fortunato, manager of ALFA CAPEAR, warned about the severe crisis facing the fresh fishing fleet in Mar del Plata, marked by a drop of between 25% and 30% in fresh product landings.

She called for urgent progress on a comprehensive deregulation agenda to regain competitiveness and profitability.

“We need to reduce the weight of the State on the producer in order to be competitive,” stated the business leader, who criticized current regulations imposed by various public agencies, including the Coast Guard, Customs, and the shrimp management plan.

A prolonged crisis with no response

Fortunato emphasized that the sector’s situation “is not new,” and that they have long been warning about deteriorating profitability and the growing inactivity of vessels. “The numbers just don’t add up. Fishing trips are becoming more spaced out, working time is reduced, and each trip must now be multi-species in order to be profitable. We’re doing as bad or worse than before,” she lamented.

The case of shrimp is paradigmatic. According to Fortunato, the current management plan is generating unsustainable operational costs, with restrictions on unloading ports, time constraints, mandatory sailing speeds, and penalties for administrative noncompliance—all of which translate into higher fuel consumption and lower efficiency.

“I can’t be forced to burn more fuel just because someone decided it from behind a desk,” she said bluntly.

Urgent and cross-sectoral deregulation

At ALFA CAPEAR, they are promoting a clear agenda: deregulate to produce. It’s not just about revising the shrimp management plan, but deeply rethinking the entire bureaucratic framework surrounding the sector: costly labor due to public holidays, redundant controls, overlapping agencies. “A single change won’t be enough, but a set of measures can restore our competitiveness,” she explained.

Despite the recent currency relief, which she described as a “wink” to exporters, Fortunato was clear: “Time is running out. This crisis is not due to a lack of resources or capacity—it’s caused by a model that suffocates the producer. We need the chainsaw to also cut through regulation.”

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