Chile’s Sub-Secretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Subpesca) has filed a formal complaint with the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO) over what it calls Peru’s “unilateral” decision to increase horse mackerel capture limits.
While the SPRFMO – an inter-governmental organization committed to the long-term conservation and sustainable use of the fishery resources of the South Pacific Ocean – had set a limit of 60,000 metric tons (MT) of horse mackerel for Peru this year, the country has captured some 138,000 MT, Chile asserts.
According to Chilean business paper DF, SPRFMO may now call an extraordinary meeting of the technical compliance committee, which monitors the implementation of conservation and management standards. Sanctions of Peru could be discussed at the next convention to be held at the beginning of next year, when the quotas for 2020 are to be announced.
In response to the filing, Peru’s National Fisheries Society (SNP) referred to the government’s “decision to establish the national horse mackerel catch limit at 138,000 tons,” asserting that the SPRFMO only has jurisdiction to establish catch limits for horse mackerel on the high seas, outside the national waters of the member countries.
While Chile voluntarily consented to the SPRFMO establishing the national capture limits, Peru never accepted that condition, SNP asserted, pledging support of Peru’s government “in all actions and in all instances necessary for the sovereignty of Peru to be respected."
In turn, Chile’s Industrial Fishing Association, ASIPES, said that Peru’s “unilateral decision breaks international agreements for the protection and management of fishery resources that we share in the countries of the South Pacific. It threatens the sustainability of the species and destroys the enormous effort involved in recovering horse mackerel, a fishery of enormous importance in economic and labor terms for our country.”
ASIPES President Macarena Cepeda Godoy highlighted that the association’s members capture 80 percent of the 380,000 MT of the horse mackerel quota assigned to Chile, and that this year Alimar, Blumar, Camanchaca, FoodCorp, Landes and Orizon received Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for their horse mackerel fishing, demonstrating sustainability and traceability in the distribution chain.
The companies in Chile’s south-central zone produced 158,000 MT of frozen products and 32,000 MT of canned horse mackerel for direct human consumption during the first half of this year, generating some USD 177 million (EUR 104.9 million) in exports, according to ASIPES figures.
SPRFMO has 15 members from around the world, including Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, and Peru from Latin America. In the region, Colombia, Curaçao, and Panama are cooperating non-contracting parties.
Photo courtesy of David Carbo/Shutterstock
