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Claudio Vidal, Governor of Santa Cruz. Photo: Revista Puerto
Santa Cruz Isn't Showing Its Cards: Debate Over Shrimp Compensatory Quota
ARGENTINA
Tuesday, February 11, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)
The arguments put forward by the province of Santa Cruz to request an increase in the compensatory shrimp quota for not fishing in the San Jorge Gulf are easily refuted, while their true intentions remain unclear.
It is speculated that the reasons would be to grant quota to boats without permits and to secure a "social quota" of 20,000 tons for the province and Chubut, reports Karina Fernandez of Revista Puerto.
Since 2018, Chubut and Santa Cruz have received a compensatory quota for the decision to stop fishing in the San Jorge Gulf to protect an important shrimp breeding area, a measure endorsed by INIDEP. Now both provinces are requesting to increase that quota. Chubut does so by reaffirming its commitment to keeping the gulf closed, while the governor of Santa Cruz, Claudio Vidal, threatens to open it, without considering the biological consequences this would have.
The situation became evident during a tense meeting of the Federal Fisheries Council, where the issue, although not on the agenda, dominated the discussion.
Chubut's Request and Santa Cruz's Position
The controversy began with a note presented by Chubut, which in addition to requesting the intervention of the Council in the face of the threats from the Governor of the province of Santa Cruz, Claudio Vidal, supported the increase in the compensatory quota requested by Santa Cruz. Since 2018, the original quota was 3,800 tons, adjusted by multipliers for resource availability, reaching between 15,000 and 20,000 tons per province.
Santa Cruz's argument that the quota should increase due to a supposed increase in catches was easily disproved. Since 2018, the volume of catches has decreased due to stricter management measures following an overexploitation alarm. The monitoring of recruitment and the closure of the gulf have kept the fishery in good condition, with catches exceeding 200,000 tons annually, although never exceeding the peak of 250,000 tons in 2018.
Council's Position and Fears about the Resource
The representative of the Province of Buenos Aires rejected the request, arguing that Santa Cruz has not even used its current quota completely, having sometimes ceded it to Chubut. Despite this, the Undersecretary of Fisheries of the Nation, Juan Antonio López Cazorla, showed his support for the request, making it clear that "this is going to be done".
Amid the tense negotiation between Juan Antonio López Cazorla, Claudio Vidal and Ignacio Torres, some predict that the national government could intervene in the Federal Fisheries Council.
The fear is that the Santa Cruz administration could extend new quotas to boats without permits, increasing fishing effort in national waters. It is also suspected that it seeks to secure a social quota of 20,000 tons for each province, which would be beneficial in a scenario of future quota allocation, eliminating the application of multipliers.
If quota allocation does not occur soon, there is a risk that multipliers will be applied to the new volume, contradicting INIDEP's recommendations.
 Extortion and Lack of Reasonableness
Governor Vidal's extortionate attitude, threatening to open the gulf, is cause for concern. His recent research campaign, without scientific backing, only increases unease in the sector.
The risk to the resource demands 'new measures' -->
If the quota increase is approved, the Federal Fisheries Council must establish clear conditions to avoid sacrificing the resource. Furthermore, it is essential that the CFP does not allow Vidal to use the opening of the Gulf as a pressure tactic, as Chubut has formally requested, concludes Karina Fernández in her opinion article.
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