PROSPECTIVE Chile Patagonian toothfish - bottom longline (artisanal fleet)

In Chile, the Chilean sea bass fishery began with surveys at the beginning of the 1960s. The artisanal fleet initially operated from the Biobio and Los Lagos regions, extending to the north and south of the country, but considering that the best yields fishing were observed towards the south. Currently there is an operational artisanal fleet throughout the country. Artisanal Chilean Sea Bass fishing has special treatment in Chile, allowing artisanal vessels to travel between political regions, allowing them to visit fishing sites far from their home port. The southern operating limit of the artisanal fleet was established at parallel 47° LS, however, in the last two decades incursions towards the south became more frequent. The fishing gear used by the artisanal fleet is the bottom longline.

In Chile, there are two administrative units of the Chilean Sea Bass, one with global capture quotas, which is known as the Artisanal Fishing Area (APA in Spanish) and the Tendered Fisheries Unit (UPL) that operates with a special regime, but It is predominantly industrial. The geographical limit of both administrative units is parallel 47° LS. Chilean Sea Bass is a highly desired resource, with a highly integrated fleet and processing industry, and with a very extensive value chain, with several relevant elements and processes. Requiring markets are demanding in terms of sustainability, therefore advancing in these aspects is imperative to maintain competitiveness.

On the part of the technical background for the evaluation and management, some relevant shortcomings are evident that do not allow access to sustainability certification processes or similar, which is why an effort from stakeholders is required to move forward. In administrative terms, the situation is complex, since two access regimes and two types of extractive fleets coexist, with the definition of the status of the resource and knowledge of the Bycatch being one of the main current problems. This proposal is expected to establish the bases to work on an improvement program with the artisanal fleet that operates in Chile, both in the artisanal fishing area and the fraction of the fleet of less than 18 meters in length that enters the tendered area. It is expected to establish a progressive program for the incorporation of artisanal vessels, starting with those that have shown interest in participating.

Given the problem declared by the fishery administration, the greatest effort of this proposal will focus on strengthening the information necessary to prepare the diagnosis of the fishery, interactions with Bycatch, and some social aspects and good practice agreements.