Photo: Revista Puerto/FIS

Shrimps in the Port of Rawson: Intermittent Catches, But No Alarm at the Start of the Provincial Season in Chubut

ARGENTINA
Thursday, December 11, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

Experts call for calm, pointing out that it is premature to compare the current harvest with that of 2023, the best in history, less than a month into the effective operation of the fleet.

The start of the fishing season for shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri) in jurisdictional waters of Chubut, which began fully last November 15, i.e., less than a month ago, shows a picture of intermittent catches in the Rawson area, although specialists observe no biological alarm indicators.

According to information from Nelson Saldivia of Revista Puerto, the situation has caused some uneasiness in the sector, as it is taking some vessels more than a day to fill their holds within the 12 nautical miles (maritime miles). The resource is present—there are shrimp—but it is dispersed.

Factors Influencing Performance

The first fortnight of operation was marked by bad weather conditions, coupled with the incidence of the accompanying species hake (Peisos petrunkevitchi) in some hauls, preventing the trawling nets from raising clean catches. Over the last three days, coinciding with the long weekend, the presence of hake was even reported in sectors where the fleet was operating.

Photo: Revista Puerto

Specialists monitoring the resource warn that drawing direct comparisons with the previous season, cataloged as the best in the history of the shrimp fishery in Chubut, can lead to hasty and erroneous conclusions. The weather factor has had an impact on this later start, and the behavior of the natural resource is not an exact science. Although the sizes and catch volumes are lower compared to identical periods last year, there is no biological concern.

"We must manage anxieties," affirm specialists, who consider it prudent to wait for the shrimp to enter the area over the coming weeks, making it easier to find concentrations, and thus narrowing the field of unfounded speculation.

Photo: Revista Puerto

Evaluation of a Possible 'Biological Halt'

Regarding future operations, a potential 'biological halt' was agreed upon between Christmas and New Year's holidays at the last Vigo Fair. However, the realities and commitments of the companies differ, and some maintain they have obligations to fulfill with clients that make it impossible for them to support a stoppage.

The sector will have to evaluate the evolution of catches at the beginning of the second half of December to determine what measure is adopted. The season is just beginning, and there are expectations that catches will stabilize, providing predictability for the entire shrimp value chain.

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