May 21, 2010

Argentina's hake export suffers amid industry difficulties

Argentina risks losing about half of its hake export market due to crisis in the fishing industry caused by overfishing, low yields and tougher EU rules.

This week the government imposed what it called a "biological shutdown" - preventing fishing crews from leaving the ports. Analysts said the ban would be difficult to implement over the long term, amid signs that previous fishing-free days were flouted with impunity by some groups.

Fisheries and Aquaculture officials said the hake catch between January and March was 33.5% less than the same period in 2009. Shipowners who faced criticism for overfishing hake are complaining that the worst hake yields since 1992 would hurt their industry.

The Wildlife Foundation of Argentina already has called the situation one of the severest crises on record. It condemned the capture of juvenile hake in what industry observers said was a continuing saga of unscrupulous practices in the sector.

A solution would not be easy, analysts said. The practice of overfishing and not sparing juvenile fish from the catches was so widespread that it would be a long time before the stock could be restored to normal. The National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development said preliminary research into hake juveniles in the San Jorge Gulf in southern Patagonia was negative.

Compounding the problem is the failure of fishing vessels to adopt and use a selectivity device that prevents the capture of juveniles, said the institute.