Image: La Nación / FIS

'Hell in the sea' A swarm of ships threatens to break the balance of the Argentine Sea

ARGENTINA
Friday, April 14, 2023, 04:30 (GMT + 9)

The following is an excerpt from an article published by La Nación:  

Far from the coast, the indiscriminate capture of squid and the actions of a foreign fleet inside the Blue Hole could destabilize the ecosystem

Source: Stockfile FIS

The Argentine Sea is under threat. In addition to the local fleet, hundreds of foreign vessels -mostly from China, South Korea and Taiwan- travel exclusively to the Western South Atlantic every year and stay there for months to catch one of the main species of commercial interest: the squid illex argentinus.

Source: La Nación

The fishing pressure of jigger vessels in the area tripled in the last five years and went from 130,789 to 354,367 hours of fishing per season, according to the apparent fishing calculation carried out by Global Fishing Watch, which measures the total hours of fishing per square kilometer. Although there are regulations within the Argentine Exclusive Economic Zone (ZEE), international waters begin at mile 200 and nothing prevents indiscriminate fishing.

The scientists and specialists consulted by LA NACION acknowledge that the magnitude of the environmental damage is unknown. Even the National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development (Inidep), responsible for preparing reports on the state of the country's fishing resources, claims to have "partial or null data on what happens beyond the ZEE" to assess "the impact of the activity of the foreign fleet”. Added to this difficulty are the extension and depth of the area in question, the lack of funding for research and control of the area, and the lack of specific international agreements that favor the invisibility of this problem.

The threat behind squid fishing is the silent depredation of this resource and the magnitude of the impact still unknown at the ecosystem level. The limit of 200 nautical miles, set forth in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), is merely political and everything that happens outside the ZEE has direct impacts within the Argentine Sea. Fewer fish at mile 201 also means fewer fish within Argentine territorial waters.

"From the biological and resource management point of view, any population that is exploited without management measures will see its sustainability seriously compromised," remarked Dr. Marcela Ivanovic, head of Cephalopod Fisheries; Dr. Claudia Carozza, National Director of Research; and the director of Invertebrate Fisheries and the Marine Environment, Dr. Gustavo Álvarez Colombo from INIDEP.

For Milko Schwartzman, a specialist in marine conservation and head of the conservation and fishing program of the Environmental Policy Circle, what is happening is an "environmental catastrophe" that could lead to the commercial collapse of the species. “There is a terrible predation without control. It is not known precisely how much they are fishing, how old the captured specimens are, and they are walking along the ledge,” he warns. As it occurs outside the Argentine EEZ, where the country has sovereignty, there is no regulation that establishes fishing quotas or closed seasons to ensure reproduction times and the health of marine populations. "In this area of international waters there is no governance system and the fishing pressure is excessively high," says Falabella, from WCS Argentina.

Another problem coupled with the lack of regulation is transshipment on the high seas, which translates into the impossibility of having traceability of this fishing. Refrigerated ships, or reefers, are dedicated to collecting cargo from different fishing boats to transport it to markets. In addition, there are other classes of vessels that allow crew change, provide food or refuel through tanker ships. “Ten years ago, the foreign fleet came for a month and left, but now they arrive in November and leave in May,” says Luisina Vueso, coordinator of Greenpeace's Oceans campaign. This practice allows lower costs, avoid controls and stay fishing longer in the same place without having to return to the port.

"I call it hell at sea," says Schvartzman. And he adds: "You have a fleet of vessels without control, there is no regulatory body, they are only controlled by your company and the data is impossible to verify." The specialist also warns about the human rights abuses of the crew of these ships and the problem of discarding highly polluting garbage and oils into the ocean.

Squid is not only prey to international ships, but is also eaten by marine species in the area. The area where the foreign ships are grouped has the presence of top predators such as sharks, whales and elephant seals: key pieces of the ecosystem. “There are migratory species that feed there, like the southern right whale. These specimens are the same ones that later go to the Valdés Peninsula to have pups,” says Vueso, from Greenpeace. In turn, bird species such as the wandering albatross, the northern royal and the black-browed; the southern giant petrel and the Magellanic penguin also see their feeding area affected. (continues...)

Author: Natalia Louzau and Florencia Rodríguez Altube | La Nación | Red the full article here (only available in spanish)

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