Argentina onshore red shrimp - bottom trawl

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Overview

The Argentina red shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri) fishery is the main crustacean fishery in Argentina and one of the most important marine resources in the Southwest Atlantic.  In accordance with the Fisheries Law, Argentinean provinces have jurisdiction over the exploitation of living resources populating their interior waters and the Argentine sea adjacent to their coasts up to 12 nautical miles (measured from baseline), which allows for the characterization of provincial fisheries.

The fleet operates in the fishery addressed by this FIP, use bottom-trawling nets along the coastal waters of the province of Chubut, mainly in the Restricted Fishing Effort Zone between Punta León and Cabo Dos Bahías. The Rawson Port as its landing point, and it conducts daily fishing trips from November to April (some years October-March).  This coastal fleet conducts daily fishing trips from November to April (some years October-March), and as opposed to the larger fleet, its catches are almost monospecific.

During 2021 the onshore red shrimp fishery recorded catches of around 60,000 tonnes; total shrimp catches, both onshore and offshore, for that year were just over 200,000 tonnes (Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, 2021). 

The Argentine red shrimp onshore fishery's current obstacles to becoming more sustainable are mainly related to MSC Principles 2 and 3. This FIP will work to address Principle 2 by characterizing the interaction between the coastal fleet and bycatch species in Chubut’s provincial waters and to support efforts aimed at better understanding the interaction between the fishery and the sea bottom, along with its potential impacts on the ecosystem. With regard to Principle 3, further coordination among the different jurisdictions that define the management of this fishery resource will be achieved, and a formal and regular mechanism for the assessment of the efficacy of the fishery's management system will be available to stakeholders.

 

FIP Description 

The Argentina red shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri) fishery is the main crustacean fishery in Argentina and one of the most important marine resources in the Southwest Atlantic.

FIP Objective(s) 

The main goal of this FIP is to attain an MSC-certifiable status for the Argentine red shrimp onshore fishery by the end of 2023.  The specific objectives for the period 2022-2023 are as follows:

1. Promote the periodic evaluation of the effectiveness in the fisheries management system, through the regular operation of the fishery's Follow-up Commission, and the creation of a Technical Committee for the fishery. 
2. Follow up on the process of adopting a Contingency Plan for the fishery as stipulated in Resolution N°7/2018 of the Management Plan.
3. Resume the Private On-board Observer Programme for the 2021-2022 fishing season, analyse the data collected and report the results.
4. Build the capacity of the private observers on bird identification, before the fishing season 2021-2022. 
5. Promote management measures or changes in fishing practices according to the results of the risk analysis, if necessary. 
6. Publish and disseminate the results of risk assessments carried out since the start of the PIF.
7. Provide technical support to FIP partners during the fishery certification process. 
8. Fulfil the requirements for the Fishery Progress Human Rights and Social Responsibility Policy Programme. 

FIP Type 
Comprehensive
FIP Stage 
Stage 5: Improvements on the Water
Start and Projected End Dates
July 2015
May 2023
Update 
On July 14th 2022 there was a meeting with the FIP partners where the FIP continuation was discussed, and at this moment the agreement is in the process of being signed until May 2023.
Next Progress Report Due 
Saturday, December 31, 2022
Species 
Common Name 
Argentine Red Shrimp
Scientific Name
Pleoticus muelleri
Gear Type 
Bottom Trawl
Location
FAO Major Fishing Area
Area 41 (Atlantic, Southwest)
Exclusive Economic Zones
Country 
Argentina
Geographic Scope 
Province of Chubut
Landings
Estimated Total FIP Landings 
60,000 metric tons
Estimated Total Fishery Landings 
200,000 metric tons
Landings Date 
December 2021
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FIP at a Glance

21% 79%
July 01, 2015
14% 43% 43%
Progress Rating (A) Advanced Progress

Reserved for comprehensive FIPs that have achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within the past 12 months.

(B) Good Progress

A basic FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within 12 months.

(C) Some Recent Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months that has never achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result but has reported a Stage 3 activity within the first 12 months.
(D) Some Past Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months BUT has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old AND a Stage 3 activity has been reported within six months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
(E) Negligible Progress
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old, with no Stage 3 activity reported in the last six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months with no Stage 3 activity reported within 12 months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.

The ratings are currently derived by SFP from publicly available data on FIP websites, including FisheryProgress.org, and are determined using the following methodology: View PDF
A Advanced Progress
Actions Complete

This pie chart represents completed environmental actions. Non-completed environmental actions may contain completed sub-tasks that are not illustrated here. For more information on environmental action progress visit the Actions Progress tab.
  • Complete
  • Incomplete
Next Update Due FisheryProgress requires a FIP to provide update reports every six months, and two missed reports will render the FIP inactive. If a report is overdue, this date will appear red.
Dec 2022
Target End Date
May 2023

FIP Leads

Organization Name 
CEDEPESCA
Organization Type 
NGO
Primary Contact 
Alejandra CORNEJO
Email 
alejandra.cornejo@cedepesca.net
Website Name 
Argentine red shrimp onshore FIP
Organization Name 
PESQUERA VERAZ
Organization Type 
Industry
Primary Contact 
Federico ANGELERI
Email 
fangeleri@grupoveraz.com.ar
Website Name 
Grupo VERAZ
FIP Identification Number The FIP Identification Number is automatically generated by FisheryProgress when a FIP profile is created. While the number itself is not meaningful, they are used by NGOs, academia, and industry to refer to FIPs in a consistent way.
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