Cesar Lerena and Ignacio 'Nacho' Torres. Photo: Stockfile/FIS

Opinion Article: When a Fishing Permit Can Lead to a Crime

ARGENTINA
Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 03:00 (GMT + 9)

Fishing in Chubut is no minor issue and should not be treated as such, given that it generates around 600 million dollars annually for the Province. This represents 30% of the total national fishing exports.

The recent submission by the provincial government of Chubut to the provincial Legislature of Bill 131/25 to grant two fishing permits to the US company Red Chamber is an act of extreme gravity due to the biological depredation it would cause; the economic damage it will inflict on other actors in the sector; existing corruption allegations; the violation of current legislation; and a suspicious subordination to the designs from the north.

The intention of Governor Ignacio "Nacho" Torres, one of the governors forming part of the failed "United Provinces," from the outset, violates the first three articles of the Provincial Fishing Law IX N° 157, which prescribes: «The Province of Chubut will promote a sustainable fishing development policy that meets the needs of the present without compromising the capacity of future generations to meet their own needs (…) it is declared that the right to fish carries with it the obligation to do so responsibly, in order to ensure conservation (…) provincial policies aimed at the conservation of fishing resources and the responsible management and development of fishing will be applied (…) the protection of living marine resources will be promoted (…) fishing research will be promoted…» since, to dispose of fishing resources, the competent technical body must previously (Art. 14° Law IX-157) determine the "Maximum Sustainable Yield" and carry out environmental impact studies to ensure that there will be no depredation and that this will not affect the availability of resources already granted to other fishing companies and the needs of future generations.

As if that were not enough, in its article 6, the Province of Chubut adhered to the Federal Fishing Law, thereby aggravating its irresponsible actions by engaging in bad fishing practices, while foregoing important migratory resources of the Province, to which we will refer in future writings.

Furthermore, when fishing authorizations are granted without first determining the existence of sufficient resources, not only is the sustainability of the species affected, but also the availability for all companies authorized to fish; this reduces profitability and destroys employment. Fishing resources are part of the ecosystem, and this implies an integral exploitation, through an ecosystemic approach. The granting of even one more permit cannot be gracefully accepted.

On the other hand, Roberto Garrone (Punto Noticias, November 9, 2025) wrote: «The Governor seeks to hand over (to the US capital company Red Chamber) two fishing permits. They suspect it would be in exchange for the US company deactivating a complaint involving Andrés Meiszner, who allegedly asked for 6.5 million dollars to maintain the contract for the assets of the former Alpesca that he leased to the Province,» which—if confirmed—would add the element of corruption; a practice that Torres could not be unaware of, given that Meiszner is his State Prosecutor, former Minister of Economy, former General Director of Revenue, and former president of the Bank of Chubut. A man of extreme confidence for the governor.

There is a series of concatenated events that Garrone accurately describes, which could generate a presumption that this crime of bribery might have occurred. Let's see.

The assets of the former Alpesca were deselected by the Province of Chubut from the US subsidiary Red Chamber, citing repeated breaches, and were handed over to the company Profand.

Garrone reports that «Governor Torres, accompanied by his Fishing Secretary, Andrés Arbeletche, was at the United States Embassy explaining for more than five hours all the breaches of the Red Chamber company.» Sincerely, it sounds strange (or doesn't it?) that a governor should explain to the US representation how he manages the natural resources of the Province and how he applies the Law in his capacity as the Enforcing Authority. It sounds like viceroyalty procedures, when the Province did not exist.

In the detailed descriptions made by Garrone, he indicates that State Prosecutor Meiszner (?!) is mentioned in the complaint that Red Chamber files in the California Courts against Profand for «violation of the trade secret defense law (…) violation of the law of corrupt organizations and those influenced by extrajudicial crime, etc.» and that «Marcelo Mou, CEO of the Red Chamber company, reports on a meeting held on April 3 at the Alvear Palace Hotel, where the then Minister of Economy of Chubut told him that “He would need to pay 6.5 million dollars in “B money” if he wanted to continue operating the assets expropriated from Alpesca and acquire those assets once the judicial expropriation process was completed.» Let's clarify, it's not an old building that is at stake, but the fishing permits it has, with which several plants could be built; precisely the permits that the governor now asks the legislature to grant to the defaulting company, announcing that Red Chamber would build a new, surely "model," plant.

It is striking that, having had the industrial plant, quotas, and authorizations of the former Alpesca taken from Red Chamber due to repeated breaches since 2015 (non-payment of fees; lack of agreed investments, illegal subcontracting), the Torres government and the questioned company celebrate a new investment contract. It is not very serious, and although it may not be, it sounds like extortion or bribery, or both.

Finally, what is a General Prosecutor doing traveling to the United States with the governor in search of new investments? Obviously, it is not part of a General Prosecutor's mission and functions.

The popular saying goes: if it barks, wags its tail, and is man's most loyal friend: it is a dog. The Legislature and Justice will say what it is all about.

I will not fail to recall that Governor Torres is a terrible administrator of his original fishing resources, and his province is losing millions of dollars because of it; that the fishing law of his Province resorts to the overused delegation of powers in Law 24,922, thereby acting as if it were a mere national territory subject to the will of the central power, and that, as we already wrote, he would be willing to facilitate the logistics of the Chinese vessels that illegally fish the original migratory resources of the Argentine Exclusive Economic Zone, causing serious sovereign, economic, and social damage to Argentina and Chubut (César Lerena "China does not come to solve the Argentine problem, it comes for our resources" January 22, 2023; "Illegal Chinese fishing. idiocy knows no bounds," November 2, 2023).

Finally, it must be said that it is regrettably sad that a Province has to account for the administration of its natural resources to a foreign country. The National Constitution in its article 124 states: «…The provinces have original dominion over the natural resources existing in their territory,» and it is up to the governments to do so efficiently for the well-being of their people and the development of their towns.

Published by Perfil

Expert in South Atlantic and Fishing.

Former Secretary of State.

President of the Center for Latin American Fishing Studies (CESPEL)

President of the Agustina Lerena Foundation www.cesarlerena.com .ar

This article represents the opinion of the signatory. The opinion articles published do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of this medium. Fish Info & Services is an independent medium, open to the opinions of its readers. If you wish to publish, contact us at [email protected]

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