Area 41 (Atlantic, Southwest)

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.

FIP partners Ayamos Foods Service, Cais do Atlântico and CeDePesca have committed to the sustainability of Brazil’s croaker and whitemouth croaker bottom trawl and gillnet fisheries.

Croaker (Umbrina canosai) and whitemouth croaker (Micropogonias furnieri) are demersal species intensively exploited on the southern and southeastern continental shelf of Brazil, mainly caught by bottom trawl and gillnet fleets and of great economic importance. Stock assessments conducted out for these species show that croaker and whitemouth croaker are overexploited. Furthermore, the MSC pre-assessments completed by CeDePesca in November 2021 (croaker) and December 2023 (whitemouth croaker) 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-assessments, and Ayamo Foods, Cais do Atlântico and CeDePesca are keen to join efforts with other stakeholders in the supply chain to achieve a certifiable status for fisheries.

The fishery being assessed is the Atlantic Ocean tuna - longline (FCF) fishery. The fishery targets albacore (Thunnus alalunga), bigeye (Thunnus obesus) and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares). The longline vessels in this assessment are flagged to Taiwan, Namibia, Belize and Panama and fish on the high seas and within the Namibia Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The fishery is managed regionally the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).

The fishery being assessed is StarKist Atlantic Ocean longline tuna fishery. The fishery targets albacore (Thunnus alalunga) tuna, bigeye (T. obesus) and yellowfin (T. albacares) tunas. The pelagic longline vessels are flagged to Taiwan, St Vincent, Senegal, Panama and Belize and fish on the high seas (and occasionally in the national EEZs) in the Atlantic. The fishery is managed regionally by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) in the Atlantic Ocean.