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Photo: Parte de Pesca/FIS
Argentine Union Sector Opposes Assistance to Chinese IUU Fishing Fleet
ARGENTINA
Friday, November 15, 2024, 00:10 (GMT + 9)
Hongdong Fisheries Co. Ltd. recently signed an investment agreement in Fuzhou with the Government of Santa Cruz for the modernization of port infrastructure in the Patagonian province. The underlying goal of this project is to provide support to the foreign fishing fleet operating around mile 201, Parte de Pesca reports.
This agreement has raised alarms, particularly in the Argentine squid-jigging sector, as it would lead to unfair competition effectively sanctioned by national authorities.
This week, the United Maritime Workers’ Union (SOMU) strongly opposed the proposal to open Santa Cruz’s ports to the IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing fleet operating outside Argentina’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Warning to López Cazorla
SOMU addressed its concerns to the President of the Federal Fisheries Council and the Undersecretary of Aquatic Resources and Fisheries, Juan Antonio López Cazorla. In a letter signed by Raúl Durdos and Juan Navarro, union leaders expressed their alarm: "Such agreements would cause serious harm to our fleet, which provides economic and social benefits to the country, creates direct and indirect jobs, contributes to national production, and drives economic growth. We must ensure the sustainability of transboundary species like squid."
The union also emphasized the need to uphold labor rights for fishing workers and called on the national government, as a coastal state, to protect the habitat of these migratory species and to consider the environmental impact that unregulated foreign vessels may have.
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While Governor Vidal (left) expresses his 'love' for the Chinese fleet, Undersecretary Lopez Cazorla continues to fail to achieve leadership in the events of the sector
"Manifest Inequality"
In this context, SOMU criticized that "granting fishing privileges to vessels operating outside mile 200 without being subject to Argentine law allows them to operate under more favorable conditions than national vessels, which must comply with strict regulations. This constitutes a manifest inequality for our national companies."
The union added that unlike Argentine ships, these foreign vessels are not subject to fishing seasons, catch limits, or other regulations vital to resource sustainability and the protection of crew labor rights.
Subsidized Fleet and Poor Labor Conditions
SOMU further asserted that these vessels, from various countries and operating in IUU fishing, are often subsidized by their governments and have been denounced in international forums for slave labor practices, creating unfair competition for Argentine products in the same markets. “It is essential that we receive greater clarity on this matter,” stated the union leaders.
Emphatically, SOMU clarified that "we cannot, under any circumstances, accept foreign vessels entering our ports without regulation under our fishing laws, as this would undermine our own fishing seasons and exploit crews who are subjected to near-slavery conditions."
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Somu leaders with Governor Vidal
Appeal to Governor Vidal
In a similar vein, SOMU conveyed its position to the Governor of Santa Cruz, Claudio Vidal. A union delegation traveled to Río Gallegos to communicate the union’s perspective directly. Thus, SOMU has become the first labor organization connected to the fishing sector to openly reject the idea of Argentina providing support to foreign fishing fleets operating outside mile 200.
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