Argentine Hake (southern stock) Fishery Improvement Project Archive Date: March 2014
The Argentine Hake FIP was transitioned from SFP to CeDePesca in March 2014; the following FIP report reflects the status of the FIP at the time of transition. The project was later reclassified as a CeDePesca Improvement Project (CIP) because it did not meet the criteria for a basic FIP. The current CIP public report can be found on CeDePesca’s website, here.
Species: Argentine Hake (Merluccius hubbsi)
FIP Scope/Scale: Fishery level
Fishery Location: For map see: Argentine hake - southern stock
FIP Participants: CeDePesca
Sustainability Information: See Summary tab at: Argentine hake - southern stock
Date Publicly Announced: 2009
FIP Stage: 4, FIP is delivering improvement in policies and practices
Current Improvement Recommendations: • Implement a recovery plan • Improve transparency on records • Improve the robustness of Argentina’s fisheries science • Increase reproductive biomass above limit reference point (including reducing bycatch).
Background:
Argentine hake is a bottom-trawling fishery, which produces around 200,000 tonnes, making it one of the most important hake fisheries in the world. It is an export-oriented fishery, with primary markets in Brazil (23%), Spain (13%), Italy (11%), the US (6%), and Ukraine (6%) (see annual Fisheries Export reports here).
In 2007, when the FIP began scoping, the fishery faced significant problems: • Stock was below its biological limit and spawning stock biomass was under the target reference point • The actual catch was over the advised total allowable catch (TAC) • Catchers were landing more juveniles than adults and refused to use devices that would let juveniles escape the trawl nets • Bycatch of juvenile hake by the Argentine shrimp fishery resulted in 30,000 to 40,0000 tonnes of discard each year • There was neither a recovery plan in place to deal with these issues nor any effective monitoring and enforcement of regulations. SFP is collaborating on this FIP with CeDePesca, a South American NGO whose mission is to work toward socially, economically, and ecologically sustainable fisheries. CeDePesca has been involved with the Argentine hake fishery for over 10 years.
CeDePesca had worked closely for several years with Alpesca and other local companies such as Yuken to make progress. Formal agreements with both companies were signed on April 2011 and September 2011, respectively. However, both companies were sold (Alpesca in 2011 and Yuken in 2013) to new owners who are not currently interested in supporting sustainability efforts.
In 2008, an MSC pre-assessment was completed, and for several years, private companies worked with CeDePesca on improvement efforts. CeDePesca believes that the current crisis faced by the fisheries sector is hampering involvement of the private sector in this FIP, as companies struggle to keep their doors open.
The main strength of this fishery is a huge and well-enforced non-trawling zone, covering almost half of the fishing grounds, protecting breeding and feeding. Since 2008, a new mandatory catch certificate has been very helpful in minimizing illegal fishing. Since 2013, the reproductive biomass has been over the limit reference point after around 15 years of being below it.
Currently, some important hurdles remain for this fishery: • Loopholes remain in monitoring and control of catches both at sea and on the docks. • • Juvenile fish predominate in the catch, because more mature stocks are depleted. • • Recruitments are still poor and the current exploitation strategy doesn´t allow many fish to reach maturity • • A policy is in place requiring juvenile protection devices for gears, but it is not enforced. • • Interaction with the shrimp fishery, which doesn´t use hake escape devices, occurs mostly in provincial waters of Chubut and Santa Cruz (San Jorge Gulf), and negatively affects the juvenile population. However, the juvenile hake population benefitted from the fact that, in 2011, the shrimp fishery operated mostly out of San Jorge Gulf, within federal waters.
FIP Objectives: • Implement a recovery plan and a harvest strategy • • Improve transparency of records • • Increase reproductive biomass toward target reference point (including reducing bycatch) • • Implement the ecosystem approach Progress Update:
The enforcement of EU Rule 1005/2008 against IUU has helped to reduce underreporting, although some problems persist, particularly in regard to the internal market information.
2011
As of January 2011, an on-board video cameras system is mandatory, although full implementation was delayed by authorities.
Although 2011 surveys registered some increase in spawning biomass, it is still under its limit reference point (450,000 tonnes). Managers have set non- precautionary TACs for 2010, 2011, and 2012, assuming in all cases the most optimistic scenaria. Research cruises restarted in 2011 after 3 years of inactivity from 2008 through 2010.
2012
January – March
In February 2012, CeDePesca had a meeting with the newly appointed Undersecretary of Fisheries and discussed issues such as the delicate situation of this stock of hake and the need for a recovery plan.
April – June
Transparency of stock assessments and fisheries statistics has improved, with up-to-date landings information on the Undersecretariat of Fisheries website. An external peer review was completed by FAO in May 2012, but as of March 2013 the results were not yet available to the public.
July – September
The call for a Recovery Plan for hake, with clear targets and timetables, was reiterated in a letter sent in September to the Federal Fisheries Council.
On the other hand, in August 2012, CeDePesca held meetings with other stakeholders in the province of Chubut to invite them once again to participate in the FIP, and to discuss both the situation of the hake stock and its interaction with the shrimp fishery. Meetings were conducted with Pesquera Pereira, the researcher in charge of the province’s on-board observers program, and with researchers at the faculty of fishing at the National University of Technology.
In August 2012, during an interview with the press, the Undersecretary of Fisheries stated that the on-board camera system is being simplified, although he didn’t offer any details. He had already discussed this topic with CeDePesca during a meeting in February 2012, when he expressed his intention of streamlining the system that has been tested on 10 vessels since early 2012. Originally, it was hoped that the system would help to enforce the use of selectivity devices and to discourage discards.
October – December
In October 2012, as part of the project “FAO – Support to CFP to formulate a fishery research policy and technological application in fisheries,” CeDePesca attended a meeting in Buenos Aires and participated in the consultation round after the event.
In November 2012, CeDePesca sent a letter to the Undersecretary of Fisheries (Chubut) to encourage him to take the first steps to improve the fisheries and finally obtain MSC eco-certification.
In December 2012, INIDEP recommended a TAC below 279,000 tonnes in Technical Report N° 38/2012 and the CFP set it in 278,000 tonnes in Res. 26/2012.
2013
January – March
CeDePesca sent a copy of the letter sent to the Undersecretary of Fisheries (Chubut) in November 2012 to the new Coordinating Minister; no response had been received as of June 2013.
CeDePesca talked with the Production Manager from Altamare SA (ex Pesquera Pereira Argentina SA) who had promised as long ago as December 2012 to talk with the Undersecretary of Fisheries (Chubut) about the letter CeDePesca sent to him. The answer she received was that CeDePesca must wait for the moment.
CeDePesca proposed to API (Professionals Association of INIDEP) a workshop/course about The Ecological Risk Assessment for the Effects of Fishing (ERAEF). INIDEP accepted the proposal and API and CeDePesca worked together to coordinate the workshop to take place in April 2013. A description of the fishery according to ERAEF methodology was created for use in the workshop.
April – June
CeDePesca requested information from the Congress on the initiative by Congressman Raul Eduardo Costa in July 2012 (4862-D-2012) asking the Fisheries Authority about the on-board video camera system. The reply was that there had been no action regarding the mentioned request, the request was never officially recognized by Congress, and therefore the Executive had no response.
During April 9–11, a workshop about the Ecological Risk Assessment for the Effects of Fishing (ERAEF) method was held in the INIDEP and attended by 22 scientists, technicians, and on-board observers. The Researchers Association, INIDEP, and CeDePesca jointly organized the workshop. The study case, Argentine hake – southern stock, yielded interesting discussion about the need for tracking trawling areas and for closer attention to some bycatch species.
In June, as part of the project “FAO – Support to Federal Fisheries Council to formulate a fishery research policy,” CeDePesca attended a stakeholder’s workshop. The conclusions of the meeting are being developed by the project advisory committee led by the FAO. The workshop was organized around five topics: a) institutional aspects of marine fisheries research; b) research in biology and fisheries ecology, stock assessment, and population dynamics; c) marine fisheries research activities; d) databases and information for fisheries research; e) Human Resources training for fisheries research. Similar workshops were subsequently developed with the industry and unions.
July – September
In July, CeDePesca exchanged letters with Argentine authorities (the President of Argentina, the Minister of Economy and Public Finances, and the Undersecretary of Fisheries) regarding the financial crisis of the fishing sector. As the crisis goes on, it continues to be extremely difficult to progress on sustainability issues with other fishery stakeholders, and CeDePesca expresses its concern while remaining in contact with stakeholders..
In July, INIDEP’s Professionals Association contacted CeDePesca to organize a second workshop on ERAEF, using the southern stock as a case study. This workshop is to be held in October and organization tasks are being conducted.
In July, FAO sent the conclusions of the workshop held in June, regarding the project to update the Argentine fisheries research policy, to the workshop participants. This document is not public yet.
Also in July, CeDePesca had an exchange of letters with INIDEP’s Director and the Undersecretary of Fishing to insist on the release of aggregated data from the on-board observers program concerning bycatch discards in this fishery.
In August, CeDePesca started researching the use of video camera systems in other fisheries around the world. The use of hydraulic and movement sensors combined with independent GPS seems to provide a simpler control, reducing the hours of recording video images.
In September, CeDePesca participated in a workshop of the National Advisory Commission for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity (CONADIBIO). During the meeting, CeDePesca, as an official member of the commission, promoted the inclusion of sustainability issues and the ecosystem-based approach for fisheries management (EBFM) within the working axis of the Commission for the period 2014–2020.
In September, the Undersecretary for Fisheries and Aquaculture issued Disposition N° 86/2013 extending the deadline to draft an Operation Manual for the on-board video-cameras system.
October – December
October 2–4, a second workshop on the Ecological Risk Assessment for the Effects of Fishing (ERAEF) method was held at INIDEP and attended by 12 scientists, technicians, and on-board observers. API (INIDEP professionals association) and CeDePesca jointly organized the workshop. The case study fishery was Argentine hake – southern stock. The workshop served to consolidate the knowledge acquired during the previous workshop, held in April 2013, and to introduce the Stock Assessment and Fisheries Evaluation (SAFE).
In October, CeDePesca held meetings in Puerto Madryn with the Undersecretary of Fisheries of Chubut, as well as separately with stakeholders, to try to interest them in advancing a new pre-assessment of the fishery. The result was discouraging because the economic situation of the fishing industry and the ongoing decrease in available work continue to be the main concerns for the private sector.
In December, CeDePesca sent a letter to the Undersecretary for Fisheries and Aquaculture about electronic monitoring using video cameras and how this system is used in other fisheries.
In December, INIDEP recommended a TAC below 310,000 tonnes in Technical Report N° 29/2013 and the CFP set it at 290,000 tonnes in Resolution N° 16/2013.
Also in December, CeDePesca participated in a meeting of the National Auditing Office (AGN) regarding its 2014 auditing schedule. CeDePesca took this opportunity to suggest an audit to the Fisheries Federal Council. The idea was welcomed by officials and the proposal will be further encouraged by CeDePesca.
2014
January – March
On January 15, CeDePesca had a meeting with the Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture to discuss issues including the need to implement bycatch devices that are acceptable to the fishing fleet in order to ensure minimizing fishing mortality of juveniles, as well as the implementation of electronic monitoring, and CeDePesca’s December 2013 letter on the subject. CeDePesca noted the improvement of the reproductive biomass, which is finally above its limit reference point. The management is now working to achieve the target reference point (600,000 tonnes). In addition, CeDePesca took the opportunity to emphasize increasing transparency in fishery management as well as the adoption of the ecosystem approach.
In March, CeDePesca assumed full leadership of the Argentine Hake FIP and posted a public report to their website.
Argentine Hake FIP Detailed Information
The Argentine hake FIP is an informal partnership, with no MOU signed among FIP participants.
Fishery Problem
Summary of fishery status a. SFP own estimate, based on data from FishSource Current status: Depleted Status at beginning of FIP: Depleted b. Other ranking system: The fishery has been ranked as Red by WWF SASSI - The Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative
FIP Progress Update:
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The situation of the hake stocks, the need for a recovery plan for the southern stock and measures such as the on-board cameras were discussed Meeting Augus with Maria t 2012 Eva Gongora, researcher in charge of the On- board Observer Program in Chubut, to discuss discards in the shrimp fishery that take place in the Gulf San Jorge and the need to increase the rate of observed vessels Letter to Septe CeDePes Letter Undersecret mber ca available (in ary of 2012 Spanish) on Fisheries to request promote the adoption of a recovery plan with clear targets and timetables Letter to Septe CeDePes Letter Undersecret mber ca available (in ary of 2012 Spanish) on Fisheries request (Chubut) to encourage him to take the first steps to improve the fisheries and finally obtain the eco- certification A April CeDePes Article in workshop 2013 ca website to promote API- adoption of INIDEP the ERAEF methodolog y among researchers was conducted at INIDEP CeDePesca Septe CeDePes Article in attended mber ca website CONADIBI 2013 O’s workshop and encouraged inclusion of EBFM into its working program for 2014–2020. 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FIS - Legal Catch Certification Guide Issued
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