Argentna-Fishing bans on Hake.

ARGENTINA.

FISHING BAN ON HAKE..

Argentina has expanded and declared permanent the ban on common hake fishing in several areas of the South Atlantic.

The measures were made effective by the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock Fisheries and Food (SAGP&A), in accordance with a plan submitted by the national Institute of Fisheries Research in April of 2008, after evaluating the stocks of young fish in the area.

The purpose of the ban is to ensure that juvenile fish are not fished nor spawning adults.

Regarding hake landings for the first 9 months of 2008 the total volume was 192 855 tons of which 47,046 tons were fished in the north pf parallel 41 and 145,808 were caught south of the line.

Hake landings in Mar Del Plata were the highest with 120,517 tons, this being the main fishing port of Argentina.Fresh fish vessels landed 124,040 tons and trawler fleets landed 46,827 tons.

Coastal vessels landed 13,415 tons and radial vessels 7,380 tons, shrimp vessels 1,145 tons