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Dr.Lerena: The 'Red Gold,' as shrimp is called because of its color and economic and social effects, should be subject to quotas
Opinion Article: Shrimp Management in Crisis
ARGENTINA
Thursday, December 04, 2025, 07:00 (GMT + 9)
The administration of Individual Catch Quotas (ICQs) is the central axis of the fishing policy; but, in this closed-mindedness, those responsible for administering fishery resources efficiently and sustainably do not seem to be aware of it. The "Red Gold," as shrimp is called because of its color and economic and social effects, should be subject to quotas and, in doing so, the conditions of its granting should be optimized.
Quotas are those allowances that the Federal Fisheries Council (CFP) grants to companies for fishing. It is a percentage of the total volume of the "Maximum Allowable Catch" per Species, based on studies by the Research Institute (INIDEP); that is, the maximum that can be caught while ensuring the sustainability of the species; a quota that is assigned to a company for a determined period to extract this resource, under the conditions determined by the fishing policy.
Until 2009, vessels fished in an "Olympic manner," meaning until the Authority closed the fishing season to guarantee the conservation of the species. Instituting quotas allowed for greater sustainability of the species; business predictability; investments, and provided more labor stability; although negative effects are also attributed, such as the concentration of catches and the non-compliance with quotas, resulting from poor administration of concessions and low control of catches. Furthermore, it is necessary to apply an eco-systemic approach, because each species cannot be individually exploited without considering the interaction and association between them, and especially due to the migratory nature of some species like shrimp—in whose exploitation Authorities from different jurisdictions intervene.
Shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri); Squid (Illex argentinus); and Hake (Merluccius Hubbsi) represent 84% of the catches and 84% of the total dollars from Argentine fishing exports. On December 5, 2024, the Federal Fisheries Council (Acta 25/24 Res. 11/24) renewed for 15 years the award of the Hake Catch Quotas granted in 2009 (Res. CFP 23/09); squandering an exceptional opportunity to carry out a deep reordering of the activity, promoting greater investment; job creation and registration; greater added value, and more efficient and equitable administration of Fishing Concessions.
This was the consequence of a triad of facts: incapacity and fear of the Implementing Authority; pressure from business-union groups responding to the project to liberalize the sea provided for in Milei-Sturzenegger's Bases Law, and what is vox populi in port circles: there was "another matter of weight." The granting of Shrimp Catch Quotas to fishing companies, both at the national and provincial levels, should not follow the same path of renewing so that nothing is renewed.
The design of the regime and the negotiations to establish fishing quotas began in 1999 (Acta CFP 15/99) at the insistence of art. 27 of Fishing Law 24.922. The regime was applied in 2009 to the species Merluccius hubbsi; Patagonian toothfish; and Southern hake; in 2013 to the Kingclip and in 2014 the Scallop; however, shrimp was not subject to quotas. Probably in those years, the focus was placed on the most vulnerable and highest volume species; while back then shrimp catches did not exceed 78,000 tons (2001) and were somewhat unpredictable; but, for years now, catches of this species have exceeded 100 thousand tons and last year in 2024, 222,163 tons were caught, exported for a value of U$S 910 million, yet—having already passed 27 years since the sanction of the fishing law—the quota regime has not been established for this species that migrates from the provincial to the national jurisdiction and vice versa, where the ownership of the resource and the particular relationship between hake and shrimp are also at stake.
Business Chambers presented (Acta CFP 23/24 and 27/24) to the CFP a proposal for a Shrimp Management Plan, under an eco-systemic approach, prepared together with INIDEP, "seeking its maximum development compatible with the rational use of the resource (...) the sustainability of the shrimp (...) minimize mortality and discard of non-target species (...) integrate, and compatible the management measures between jurisdictions (....) mitigate the potential negative impacts of the fishery on the various components of the ecosystem...". The intention of the Chambers to advance an eco-systemic approach is an important step; but, this work only presents a series of general definitions and no concrete proposals for eco-systemic exploitation detailing integral actions related to interactions with species (e.g., bycatch of juvenile hake in shrimp nets); discards from onboard processing; actions on the marine environment and in the area of business establishment, nor is there any mention of adding value to the industrial exploitation of shrimp. When the Chambers refer to "seeking its maximum development compatible with the rational use of the resource," the addition of high value to the extraction cannot be dispensed with—as has been done until now—and, it should stop exporting whole shrimp or frozen tails onboard or to third countries for transformation and subsequent re-export. The Undersecretariat of Fisheries, the CFP, and the provinces in their jurisdictions must "seriously" establish—in agreement with the business sector, labor, and port communities—the conditions for the concessions for the exploitation of the resources of all Argentines.
According to INIDEP reports 2/25 and 10/25 in 2024—in relation to 2023—the percentage of juvenile catches decreased and the population is in biological equilibrium, and freezer vessels landed 40% of the catches and wet-fish, coastal, and harbor/estuary vessels did so at 57%. Governments, the CFP, and the actors do not seem to take into account that "A sleeping shrimp is carried away by the current" and, meanwhile: the sole extraction rights (DUE) are not related to the profitability of the business (in shrimp they increased by 83%) and with the fishing requirements for research, control, and distribution. Meanwhile, the next Agreement between the European Union (EU) and MERCOSUR foresees lowering the tariff from 12% to 0 only in 3-5 years; but, subject to the unilateral decision of the EU. In Argentina, retentions (DEX) range from 1% to 7% and fishing was not benefited by the temporary elimination of retentions for regional economies (until October 2025) "nor by reductions in animal proteins."
The compensation (Res. CFP 9/2025) is added with an annual social quota of 4,500 tons for Chubut and Santa Cruz—with the opposition of Buenos Aires due to lack of reciprocity to its Province—for wet-fish vessels that land in said provinces, founded on the closure of the San Jorge Gulf as a biological nucleus of the species, reasons for which the Chambers request to view the actions related to those Reserves, and oppose the CFP's decision (Acta 21/2025) to grant a social reserve of shrimp to Río Negro. A lack of consensus due to not clearly presenting exploitation with an eco-systemic approach.
Furthermore, Business Chambers have proposed the elimination of provincial barriers for vessels with national authorization and, as a counterpart, the CFP imposes limits on fishing in the EEZ for vessels that catch in the provincial jurisdiction. It is evident that both positions do not take into account the migratory nature of the shrimp and, in turn, the lack of recognition that they are two different jurisdictions with a migrating resource, calling into question the catch rights of this species.
Dozens of other issues are added; such as the weight of the boxes; the navigation speed; the extension of the tides; scientific prospections; closed seasons; seasonal openings and closings; incidental catch (bycatch); minimum sizes; onboard observers; vessel length, etc. and certainly the issues related to "the externality" when the catch of one fleet affects another. To add more complexity, the fishing fleet remained inactive for approximately 137 days due to salary problems, which could surely be minimized if there was greater predictability. Furthermore, the dependence of producer countries (Argentina) on importers has deepened, since exporting to the most demanding markets will require external certification.
In this regard, the CFP highlighted the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification in March 2025 for the shrimp fishery in Chubut waters; with which the certifier would guarantee international standards for resource management; from which, Argentina will delegate to a foreign institution—through mandatory annual audits—the functions that should be carried out by the Undersecretariat of Fisheries, INIDEP; SENASA, and the provincial governments. What the MSC certifies should be done by the cited Argentine organizations since their functions include establishing the stock; determining the environmental impact; self-managing the resource and the practices established in Law 24.922, CFP resolutions and good practices; codes of conduct; sanitation, traceability; origin (Dec. 4238/68), etc.
Undoubtedly, a para-tariff barrier to the detriment of the country that will reduce its autonomy in internal oversight. It will be a good business for the certifiers and a new tool for developed importers to stop imports when the destination community deems it appropriate; e.g., the EU-MERCOSUR Agreement: "...subject to tariff quotas and safeguard measures if there is serious damage to European producers" (Chap. 2, Annex I). And it is not rigorous, because, since shrimp is a resource that migrates from the territorial sea to the EEZ and vice versa, the Chubut jurisdiction could not be certified while the EEZ is not certified. Everything had the support of the CFP and we should ask ourselves, if the authorization by importers of industrial plants and vessels is added to the outsourcing and certification of administration, it makes no sense for the sector to sustain the State's structures.
It is evident that with the granting of Shrimp Catch Quotas, the system for granting concessions must be renewed, in order to make the activity more effective and sustainable.
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Expert in South Atlantic and Fishing.
Former Secretary of State.
President of the Center for Latin American Fishing Studies (CESPEL)
President of the Agustina Lerena Foundation
www.cesarlerena.com
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