The Joint Technical Commission for the Maritime Front (CTMFM) set the opening of the squid (Illex argentinus) fishing season in the Common Fishing Zone (CFZ), shared by Argentina and Uruguay.
The measure, established by Resolution 2/2014 for 1 May, was made taking into account the available information on the presence of the resource in the area.
According to the data provided by the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (Minagri) of Argentina, between 1 January and 15 April, 2014 a total of 64,925.8 tonnes of squid was landed in Argentinean ports.
Meanwhile, in the first three months of 2013 landings had totalled 69,119.6 tonnes.
Out of the global volume that was landed this year, Mar del Plata received the largest part: 25,900.7 tonnes of squid. In second place was Puerto Deseado, with 23,676.1 tonnes; followed by Puerto Madryn, with 14,090.7 tonnes.
Jigging vessels unloaded 57,944.6 tonnes of squid; trawlers landed 5132.5 tonnes; and fresh fish vessels unloaded 1,737.5 tonnes, among other fishing boats.
With respect to the CFZ, last year 686.4 tonnes from this area were landed, 45.6 per cent fewer than in 2012.
According to Pescare, the strong presence of foreign vessels at mile 201 and the high catches reported from the Falkland Islands cause concern in the industry because it means more competition in a market with falling prices.
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