ENVIRONMENT-ARGENTINA: South Atlantic’s Hake Supply At Risk

By Marcela Valente Reprint | | Print |

Marcela Valente

BUENOS AIRES, Oct 13 1999 (IPS) - Argentina’s fish catch surpassed the limit recommended in order to ensure the survival of the hake species ‘merluccius hubsi,’ which used to be an abundant resource of the nation’s territorial waters and an economical dinner.

Environmentalists, ship captains, maritime workers and fishing companies are pressing the government to ban hake fishing and encourage squid catches, which would also mean putting a freeze on permits granted to Asian fishing ships.

Argentina’s fishing industry developed quickly over the last decade. Fish exports grew from 250 million dollars in 1987 to 1.2 billion 10 years later – but over-exploitation has resulted in alarm signals from the ocean depths.

According to Argentina’s Institute for Fishing Development, a limit of 400,000 tonnes was set for the 1998 total hake catch in order to allow the population to recover critical biomass – the minimum population required to ensure species reproduction. But the total catch that year surpassed the limit by 50 percent.

For 1999, the Institute recommended a limit of just 200,000 tonnes after reports showed that the hake population had hit dangerously low levels.

Most of the Argentinean fishing community uses ‘fresqueros,’ or cold-storage boats, which keep the catch cold until it is brought in to port to be processed.

Foreign companies, however, use freezer ships that process that catch on board. Environmentalists say these large ships have had the greatest impact on the hake population.

Members of the fishing community are concerned about the hake situation, saying they used to return from a day at sea with the ship’s hold overflowing. Now they have to spend several days at sea and are still unable to bring in a full load.

But eagerness to continue in the business meant that in the first five months of 1999, the industry caught what the Institute had recommended for the entire year. Authorities declared a fishing emergency in June, virtually banning hake catches.

The law had its exceptions, however, which were revealed later by industry oversight measures. Environmental leaders say the government was pressured against implementing any solution to the hake problem.

As a result, permits for freezer ships operating south of the 48th parallel remained valid, and the government added another 50,000 tonnes to the total hake limit, even though that extra quota had already been caught. And hake fishing continues.

Juan Carlos Villalonga, from the international environmental organisation Greenpeace, told IPS there are still numerous freezer ships fishing for hake north of the 48th parallel.

Greenpeace activists have been trying for months to bring the issue to the government and public’s attention. They have even taken to the water themselves, trying to prevent fishing boats from leaving port. So far, the only response has been beatings by ships’ crews and water dumped into their inflatable boats.

“Greenpeace recommended closing Argentinean waters to fishing. But to prevent the economic and social impacts such a measure would have on the sector, the government would have to subsidise fishing companies and workers until the species recovers,” explained Villalonga.

The Greenpeace proposal is an attempt to protect the source of employment for approximately 30,000 people by first preserving the species. “It is unlikely that fishing organisations will ask that the waters be closed because they know they would be left without work,” acknowledged Villalonga.

And explains why the environmentalists redirected their approach, proposing instead that the industry “diversify the catch,” targeting non-endangered species. But this initiative has also met resistance.

Greenpeace advises a total ban on hake fishing, replacing the catch with the squid species ‘loligo illex.’

Of the 260,000 tonnes of squid coming from Argentinean waters, 60 percent is caught by national companies. The remaining 40 percent belongs to fishing ships that enter the area through the ‘charteo’ (charter) system – from South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

Under the charter system, Argentinean companies can lease foreign fishing ships if they have the appropriate permits. The charted vessels are usually freezer ships and are treated as if they were Argentinean regarding trade, communication and shipping traffic issues.

Villalonga assured that everyone involved in the fishing industry – owners, workers, captains – agree with the policy of suspending permits for these ships, but the initiative does not have the government’s support.

The activist points to a bill – which president Carlos Menem will submit to parliament in December – that will grant new charter licenses to a hundred Asian ships for fishing in the year 2000.