Area 41 (Atlantic, Southwest)

The Argentine hake (Merluccius hubbsi) - bottom trawl (chilling fleet) FIP has been launched in September 2023 by Cámara Argentina de Armadores de Buques Fresqueros de Altura (CAABPA) with the technical support of CeDePesca.

Argentine hake (Merluccius hubbsi) is a demersal-pelagic species that inhabits cold waters related to sub-antarctic currents. It is one of the leading fishing resources in the Argentine Sea.  The Southern stock of the species is distributed between 41°S and 48°S. The industrial fishery is comprised of two main fleets: the freezing fleet and the chilling fleet. Both fleets use bottom trawls as fishing gear. The fishery is managed by the Fisheries Federal Council (Consejo Federal Pesquero) and the National Secretariat for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería y Pesca de la Nación), while research and stock assessments are undertaken by the National Institute of Fisheries Research and Development (Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero).

Shortfin squid is distributed in the Southwest Atlantic, from Brazil to southern Argentina, the Falkland Islands, and east to the high seas. The shortfin squid fishery is one of the largest squid fisheries in the world and one of the four most relevant to Argentina.

Shortfin squid has a short lifespan, of about one year. The adults tend to be associated with the sea bottom and are commonly found between 100 and 600 meters deep. Several seasonal spawning populations exist, resulting in reproduction that occurs throughout the entire year.

Because shortfin squid is an annual species, its abundance is difficult to determine and varies greatly from year to year.

In Argentine waters, the fishery is focused on a single population that is divided into four sub-units for evaluation purposes: South Patagonian, Bonaerensis/North Patagonian, Summer Spawning, and Spring Spawning. Only the two first units are targeted for fishing, and they are assessed as separate units.

The fishing fleet, which operates throughout the EEZ, is the only western fleet that uses jigs for catching shortfin squid. Jigger vessels normally fish at night, concentrating the shoals with light from strong lamps located on the decks of the vessels, often complemented by underwater lamps.

The fishing season for vessels authorized to fish for squid (established by Resolution 973/97 of the Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, y Pesca) runs between February 1 and August 31, when the species is migrating over the continental shelf. A designated closure is applied between September and January to protect juveniles. Between February 1 and June 30, fishing is allowed south of 44° S and is carried out on two subpopulations: Summer Spawning (reproductive concentrations) at the beginning of the season and South Patagonian (pre-reproductive concentrations) during the whole period. The fishing season north of 44° S begins on May 1 and closes on August 31. The subpopulation of Bonaerensis/North Patagonian (pre-reproductive concentrations) is captured during this period, as is the Spring Spawning subpopulation, though to a lesser extent and at the end of the season.

As other cephalopod fisheries, the Argentine squid fishery is largely affected by a number of factors. Recruitment and abundance may be highly variable on annual time scales, which makes very difficult to set rebuilding timeframes. It is unclear if the decrease in abundance of the SPS is due to overfishing, unfavorable environmental conditions or other external circumstances. However, no information has been found about the necessity of rebuilding the SPS stock, no rebuilding timeframe has been specified for the stock and there is no evidence that the current rebuilding strategies are rebuilding it. Also, there are not specific harvest control rules or tools for the Argentine shortfin squid fishery that adjust exploitation levels or rates in response to stock status indicators. These ultimately need to be developed in concert with the INIDEP and the management system.

Research completed by the National Fishery Institute in the late 1970s identified a potentially harvestable stock of Deep-sea Red Crab (Chaceon notialis) in Uruguay. Following that, assessments conducted in the middle 1980s within the Uruguayan EEZ estimated a harvestable biomass of nearly 22,000 tons, corresponding to one of the highest biomass levels of geryonid stocks known in the whole global ocean. By 1993 the Deep-sea red crab fishery emerged in the Uruguayan EEZ. A management plan was established in May 2005, based mostly on the biomass dynamics of the stock, including a total allowable catch (TAC).

The limited-entry fishery is executed by two factory vessels in the northern area of the Uruguayan Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), with the catch processed onboard. The catch is processed to produce body-part products known as ‘clusters’ that collectively represent about 64% of crab live weight.

The fishery is executed using baited traps along longlines spaced about 27-30 meters apart. The fishery has historically used traditional wooden traps with slat spacing that allows small crabs to escape. However, the vessel operating in the southern zone has used metal frame traps with stretched-mesh size of 100m, while the vessel operating in the northern zone has always used the traditional wooden traps.

The fishery operates throughout the year, although there has been considerable variation in the seasonal distribution of fishing effort by each vessel. There has also been considerable annual variation in the distribution of fishing efforts by depth and latitude.

The fishery operates under permits issued to each vessel. Annual vessel permits specify a catch allocation that represents the vessel’s share of the total allowable catch (TAC). Each vessel is also limited to 200 fishing days each year. Other fishery regulations are also specified in permits including the prohibition of retaining females, a minimum legal size of 95 mm CW, and a minimum mesh size of 100 mm in conical traps. In 2007 the lat spacing of wooden traps was increased to allow a greater escape of smaller crabs and reduce the percent discarded.

Since 2007 there are also depth restrictions, designed to protect ovigerous females at shallowest depths in northern waters and to protect pre-recruits at greatest depths. Also, the fishery is closed during July-December below 600 m depth, to protect migrating males and females during the winter-spring mating season. Vessels are also required to maintain a vessel monitoring system (VMS) and to comply with requirements to carry observers. 

Landings (converted to live weight) increased from 184 t in 1993 to 4100 t in 2000, decreasing to 1600 t in 2001 and 2002 due to decreased foreign demand, which increased again from 2003 onwards. Landings declined from 2003 to about 300 t in 2015 and there was no fishery in 2016. Landings in recent years have ranged 670-1000 t during 2017-2019.

Recently there was an important change in the fishery, as the fishing permits were acquired by a new company that has chosen to promote the activity through improvements aimed at sustainable management. In this sense, in 2019 it was decided to move towards an MSC certification process. The results of this process evidenced the need for various improvements in the stock assessment process, monitoring, and harvest control rules. In addition, the survey and analysis of the species associated with the fishery, the environment, and the ecosystem must be improved, and it needs improvement in the management and participation processes

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La investigación completada por el Instituto Nacional de Pesca a fines de la década de 1970 identificó una población potencialmente cosechable de cangrejo rojo (Chaceon notialis) en Uruguay. Después de eso, las evaluaciones realizadas a mediados de la década de 1980 dentro de la ZEE uruguaya estimaron una biomasa cosechable de casi 22.000 toneladas, correspondiente a uno de los niveles más altos de biomasa de poblaciones de geriónidos conocidos en todo el océano global. En 1993 surgió una pesquería de cangrejo rojo en la ZEE uruguaya. En mayo de 2005 se estableció un plan de gestión basado principalmente en la dinámica de la biomasa de la población, incluido un total admisible de capturas (TAC).

La pesquería de entrada limitada es ejecutada por dos buques factoría en la zona norte de la Zona Económica Exclusiva (ZEE) del Uruguay, con la captura procesada a bordo. La captura se procesa para producir productos de partes del cuerpo conocidos como "racimos" que en conjunto representan alrededor del 64% del peso vivo del cangrejo.

La pesquería se ejecuta utilizando trampas de cebo a lo largo de palangres espaciados a unos 27-30 metros de distancia. La pesquería ha utilizado históricamente trampas de madera tradicionales con espaciamiento de listones que permite que los cangrejos pequeños escapen. Sin embargo, el buque que opera en la zona sur ha utilizado trampas de estructura metálica con un tamaño de malla estirada de 100 m, el buque que opera en la zona norte siempre ha utilizado las tradicionales trampas de madera.

La pesquería opera durante todo el año, aunque ha habido una variación considerable en la distribución estacional del esfuerzo pesquero por cada buque. También ha habido una variación anual considerable en la distribución del esfuerzo pesquero por profundidad y latitud.

La pesquería opera bajo permisos emitidos a cada buque. Los permisos anuales de los buques especifican una asignación de capturas que representa la participación del buque en el total admisible de capturas (TAC). Cada buque también está limitado a 200 días de pesca cada año. Otros reglamentos de pesca también se especifican en los permisos, incluida la prohibición de retener hembras, una talla mínima legal de 95 mm a ras de la mujer y una dimensión mínima de malla de 100 mm en trampas cónicas. En 2007 se aumentó el espacio lat de las trampas de madera para permitir un mayor escape de cangrejos más pequeños y reducir el porcentaje de descartes.

Desde 2007 también hay restricciones de profundidad, diseñadas para proteger a las hembras ovígeras en las profundidades más superficiales en las aguas del norte y para proteger a los pre-reclutas a las mayores profundidades. Además, la pesquería está cerrada durante julio-diciembre por debajo de los 600 m de profundidad, para proteger a los machos y hembras que migran durante la temporada de apareamiento invierno-primavera. Los buques también están obligados a mantener un sistema de vigilancia de buques (VMS) y a cumplir con los requisitos para transportar observadores.

Los desembarques (convertidos en peso vivo) aumentaron de 184 t en 1993 a 4100 t en 2000, disminuyendo a 1600 t en 2001 y 2002 debido a la disminución de la demanda externa, que volvió a aumentar a partir de 2003. Los desembarques disminuyeron de 2003 a unas 300 t en 2015 y no hubo pesca en 2016. Los desembarques en los últimos años han oscilado entre 670 y 1000 t durante 2017-2019.

Recientemente se produjo un cambio importante en la pesquería, ya que los permisos de pesca fueron adquiridos por una nueva empresa que ha optado por impulsar la actividad a través de mejoras dirigidas a la gestión sostenible. En este sentido, durante 2019 se decidió avanzar hacia un proceso de certificación MSC. Los resultados de este proceso evidenciaron la necesidad de varias mejoras en el proceso de evaluación de las poblaciones, el monitoreo y las reglas de control de cosechas. Además, se debe mejorar el estudio y análisis de las especies asociadas a la pesca, el medio ambiente y el ecosistema, y es necesario mejorar los procesos de gestión y participación.

Beaver Street Fisheries and CeDePesca have signed an agreement to design a FIP with the ultimate goal of achieving an MSC certifiable status for the Croaker trawl and bottom gillnet fishery that takes place in southern Brazil.

Croaker (Umbrina canosai) is a demersal species distributed between Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Rio Colorado (Argentina), exploited mainly on the continental shelf of southern Brazil, and has great economic importance.

According to a stock assessment conducted in 2006, the croaker stock was overexploited at the time. In addition, the MSC pre-assessment completed by CeDePesca in November 2021 showed that the fishery-specific management system is not enough to rebuild the stock nor to ensure that it fluctuates around a level consistent with its Maximum Sustainable Yield. Furthermore, at the start of this FIP, the harvest strategy is not well structured, there is no harvest control rule, and there has been no continuous fishery statistics program since 2008. This FIP will aim at improving fishery practices and policies in Brazil so that stocks can be rebuilt to their optimal level.

In Brazil, fisheries are managed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAPA), through the Secretariat of Aquaculture and Fisheries (SAP). However, the Permanent Committee for the Management and Sustainable Use of Southeastern and Southern Demersal Resources (CPG), which had the objective of providing advice for the sustainable exploitation of demersal resources –including croaker– was suspended in 2019. Recently, in April 2022, the SAP/MAPA published a list of the institutions that would compose the CPG. This FIP will aim at achieving the actual reinstatement of the CPG for Southeastern and Southern Demersal Resources and to ensure it meets in a regular fashion to address serious issues in the fishery.

In general, this FIP aims to address all the sustainability hurdles that were identified through the MSC pre-assessment, and Beaver Street Fisheries and CeDePesca are keen to join efforts with other stakeholders in the supply chain to achieve a certifiable status for fisheries.