Photo: courtesy Revista puerto

Scandalous percentages of hake bycatch

ARGENTINA
Thursday, September 30, 2021, 01:00 (GMT + 9)

The bycatch in the last weeks of the season reached levels of up to 161% and averages of 56% where there are still some boats operating. The data were provided weekly by INIDEP to the authorities. Lack of data on the fresh fleet and the Chubut coastlines.

The latest report of the INIDEP Bycatch Program reveals the high levels of hake capture that occurred in recent weeks in the areas enabled for shrimp fishing within the Hake Ban. The document provides a summary of the data recorded throughout the season and a detailed analysis of what happened between August 30 and September 19. The dispatch to fishing was closed on September 23 allowing the fleet to make one last trip, where the slaughter of hake seems to have been the common denominator.

Photo: courtesy Revista Puerto

The data of the researchers are correlated with the complaints that come from the crew: "We are killing hake never seen before". The report establishes the lack of data on the fresh fleet and calls on the province of Chubut to provide information on the operations of the coastal fleet to reduce the level of uncertainty.

The accumulated value of the hake bycatch obtained by the shrimp fleet (frozen and fresh) from April 12 to September 19, 2021 was estimated at 20,441 tons; outside and to the north of the AVPJM, around 1,085 tons and approximately 19,356 tons were obtained within the closed area.

The data provided regarding the performance of the fleet in the evolution of the season, between August 30 and September 19, reveal the significant increase in incidental fishing of hubbsi hake in recent weeks, reaching values ​​that they exceeded the allowed limits several times.

The analysis of the performance of the fleet from August 30 to September 5, showed that in Subarea 7 the bycatch estimate was in the order of 27%, 21% in Subarea 12 and 102% in Subarea 13. The northern part of this subarea was closed on 8 September.

For the period from September 6 to 12, the fleet continued to operate both outside and inside the closed season. The document indicates that a significant increase in bycatch was observed, with an average value of 33%. This increase, they affirm, was due to the values ​​detected in Subarea 4 with 59% bycatch, in Subarea 7 with 34% and in Subarea 13 with 24%. The values ​​were "higher than those indicated by the CFP", the report indicates.

At the same time, they maintain that "the catches obtained in Subareas 7 and 13 were made up of high percentages of juveniles of 78% and 73%" respectively, while in Subareas 4 they exceeded 50% of juveniles.

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Between September 13 and 19, the observed shrimp fleet operated mainly in Subareas 4 and 7 and visited Subarea 12 on a few occasions. All indicators of the hake catch observed within the closed season resulted in an average of 56% by bycatch. The biologists point out that this high value was related to the rates observed in Subarea 4 of 28%; 152% in Subarea 7 and 161% in Subarea 12.

"Regarding the length structure of the catches obtained in Subarea 7, the percentage of juvenile individuals was the most important, 78%, while in Subareas 4 and 12 they were 70% and 51% respectively", it is indicated textually in The document.

The bycatch data are scandalous and to this must be added the repeated call for attention from the INIDEP special program for the hake fishery, regarding the lack of data from the fresh fleet, for which it is unknown what was the level of incidental catch that had. And taking into account the percentage of juvenile specimens that were captured, with values ​​higher than 70%, a very high level of discard can be considered.

Photo: courtesy Revista Puerto

The values ​​reflected in this report give context to the expressions of the crew members through social networks, which warned about a hake slaughter: “Between 42 and 43 a lot of hake slaughter. Lots of hatchlings of all species”, wrote one sailor. Just two days ago another crew member, Mauricio, said: "They have to close everything, between 42 and 43 we are 100 boats, hake slaughter never seen, 80% of each set is hake of all sizes" and Julio said that, On their boat, the first day they had no catches, but then there was "carioca slaughter, the two bags full and 15 kilos of shellfish."

The dispatch to fishing was closed on September 23, the last day that the fleet was able to enter the Veda area to fish for shrimp, the last tide, unnecessary judging by the data that has just been released. The Federal Fisheries Council was held incommunicado for 20 days, they did not publish the minutes of the meeting of September 16; probably if this information had been known, the closing of the season would have occurred earlier, avoiding the indiscriminate capture of hake as an accompanying fauna.

Author/Source: Karina Fernandez/Revista Puerto (translated from original in spanish)

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