The regulations for drag net fishing for merluza (Merlucius hubbsi), which take effect in Chile on Sep. 15 to protect the smaller fish of this species, are a positive step but insufficient, says the environmental group Oceana. “Finally they are aware of a very sensitive issue for the conservation of fishing resources like drag net fishing,” Oceana attorney Matías Guiloff said in a conversation with Tierramérica.

The new regulations require the openings in the net to be 120 millimeters so that “the immature portion of this resource” can escape being caught, said the fishing division of the Agricultural Ministry.

But “the measure that will really permit the protection of marine biodiversity is the elimination of drag nets in fishing for resources in serious danger, like the common merluza,” according to the ministry.

The use of nets that “sweep” from the sea's surface to the floor has reduced the merluza population 80 percent in recent years.