Development & Aid, Environment, Tierramerica - Ecobrief

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Responsible Fishing Code Not Applied

BUENOS AIRES, Jun 17 2006 (IPS) - The Argentine environmental group Fundación Vida Silvestre warns that there is a gap between the local fishing reality and the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing, of the Food and Agriculture Organization, a United Nations agency.

“For example, they set maximum captures without considering the tradition of under-declaring, and without discounting the takes of other countries,” Guillermo Cañete, coordinator of the foundation, told Tierramérica.

A study by the Fundación Vida Silvestre shows that the precautionary focus recommended by FAO, in the 1995 code, and on a voluntary basis, “is not well incorporated” into local legislation.

The environmentalist said the study conducted in Argentina's five coastal provinces will continue with workshops in the districts involved, in order to adjust the regulations.