Photo: Revista Puerto/FIS

Chubut Province Closes Shrimp Fishing, National Waters Open on Monday

ARGENTINA
Friday, March 14, 2025, 19:00 (GMT + 9)

After more than four months of operations in provincial waters, the 2024/2025 fishing season for the species Pleoticus muelleri concludes with catches exceeding 100,000 tons.

On Monday, national waters outside the Permanent Closed Area for Juvenile Hake open. The freezer fleet is in no hurry to set sail, reports Nelson Saldivia for Revista Puerto.

The Government of Chubut resolved to conclude the shrimp fishing season from the last minute of this Friday, March 14, 2025, within the Restricted Fishing Effort Zone (ZEPR), through Resolution N° 84 of the Secretariat of Fisheries.

Compared to previous years, this season had a greater number of operating days, and the catches reached historical levels for the species' fishery, with declared landings exceeding 106,000 tons.

However, these "historical" catches are not indicative of the season's economic performance, due to the international market context and the factors of the Argentine economy.

Photo: Revista Puerto

Prices below previous years

The commercial value of Patagonian wild shrimp caught in FAO Zone 41 has been below previous years, with a profile of depressed markets. Customer demand has been limited to values lower than those of past campaigns, which has also been reflected in cold storage facilities with significant volumes of unsold shrimp. However, companies have been releasing the product at lower-than-expected prices to meet their financial obligations.

In addition to the fluctuating market variables, there are the factors presented by the Argentine economy, where the 'production costs' factor remains very high, well above the exchange rate moving at 1% per month.

Photo: Revista Puerto

The fishing sector repeatedly requested a review of retentions from the national government, and a temporary reduction of export duties was proposed to generate some relief, but not only was there no response, but a new scheme of increasing the Single Extraction Duty (DUE) has been in effect since January of this year..

Positive context of social peace

The governor of Chubut, Ignacio "Nacho" Torres, valued the "successful shrimp fishing season" that will end this Friday with historical capture levels. "We are exceeding 106,000 tons" landed, revealed the governor when taking stock of the 2024/25 season that "started and ended without any type of strike or conflict" between the union sector and the companies.

"Not only are we registering a historical record in the volume of catches, but we also managed to guarantee social peace throughout the season, preserve the resource, and sustain jobs," remarked the head of the Chubut Executive regarding an "unprecedented" season that began in early November.

The governor indicated that the volumes recorded in the last four months stem from the "absence of union conflict" throughout the season. "The intervention of the State was key in requiring that all salary union agreements be signed before the start" of the season, Torres said.

"We have managed to ensure that the season started and ended without any type of strike, even at a time that was marked by international difficulties related to low demand and the low price of the fishery resource," he pointed out.

No rush to dispatch to the Nation

With 'land shrimp' still unsold and awaiting the market's reaction at the Boston Fair next week, the Federal Fisheries Council resolved yesterday to authorize the entry of vessels to fish for shrimp outside the Permanent Closed Area for Juvenile Hake (AVPJM) from 7:00 a.m. on Monday, March 17, 2025.

Photo: Revista Puerto

A significant detail: unlike the season in Chubut, in national waters the opening occurs without the salary negotiations between companies and maritime unions being resolved.

An initial survey shows that there is no rush from the freezer fleet sector to dispatch for fishing, without predictability of continuity, nor without having deepened the discussion regarding what they have raised as a need to review the dollarized production values that were agreed upon two decades ago, when the price of shrimp was double the current price.

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