The Argentine government’s decision to limit exports of sábalo (Prochilodus lineatus), the main commercial fish species in the Paraná River, has been applauded by the PROTEGER Foundation, a non-governmental conservation organization. If the repeated calls for decreasing the capture of sábalo are heeded, and compared to previous years, the quota of 6,500 tons set by the national government is "encouraging", PROTEGER Foundation member Julieta Peteán told Tierramérica.

In 2009, the authorities allowed for the export of 15,000 tons of sábalo, but reduced the quota to 8,000 tons in 2010. This year, the Subsecretariat of Fisheries decided to set the quota at 6,500 tons until Dec. 31 as a "precaution", to allow for the recovery of dwindling stocks.

"Sábalo fishing is of exceptional importance from a biological and social point of view, and should be managed through an ecosystemic approach, placing priority on the livelihoods of thousands of families of fishers, and not based on short-term economic rationale for the benefit of a handful of exporters," stressed Peteán.