Chile managed to get 66 per cent of the global catch quota of jack mackerel in the South Pacific in the second session of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation Commission (SPRFMO). This percentage is equivalent to 290,000 tonnes of the pelagic resource, which may be fished in the Chilean Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and adjacent high seas.
The head of the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Subpesca), Pablo Galilea, described as successful the meeting outcome.
The decision was taken in the city of Manta, Ecuador, in the context of the meeting held between 27 and 31 January by the Commission, internationally known as South Pacific RFMO.
“Chile has consolidated its participation in these meetings and leads each of the instances of the Commission, both the Scientific Committee and the Compliance Committee, where besides holding the presidency, it led the topics discussed.”
The Commission approved the recommendation of the Scientific Committee, which met in October 2013 in La Jolla, United States. As regards the capture of jack mackerel throughout its distribution area in the South Pacific it should not exceed 440,000 tonnes.
The RFMO decided to increase the quota to 390,000 tonnes of the pelagic resource for the Convention Area, which implies a level increase of 30,000 tonnes (16 per cent) compared to 2013.
Chile will have 74.4 per cent of the new quota, representing an increase of 16 per cent over the last year and a 66 per cent of South Pacific total quota.
Galilea stressed that in 2013, “There was a complex scenario for the results of the review panel that caused the objection raised by the Russian Federation, in addition to the claims of Peru for its quota.”
“Both circumstances predicted a complex scenario, however they could be overcome by Chile’s weight in the bargaining, power that comes from the compliance with the organization rules, as well as the incorporation of its EEZ to the international regulation,” he continued.
During the meeting held in Manta a Jack Mackerel Recovery Plan was also approved. It will be presented for its study to the Scientific Committee at its next meeting in 2014.
This initiative establishes rules limiting the catch depending on the jack mackerel status, providing parameters for biomass and maximum sustainable yield (MSY).
On the other hand, Peru get a quota of 4,238 tonnes of jack mackerel in international waters, that is to say, outside its territorial waters.
In this regard, the Deputy Minister of Fisheries of Peru, Paul Phumpiu, said the country deeply regrets this decision.
For the Peruvians delegates in Ecuador, the Organization drastically changed the baseline and the criteria for calculating the allocated quotas.
The Peruvian delegation made a strong statement to the Committee of the Organization, in which it stated:
The country’s commitment to conservation and responsible use of fisheries resources in the Southeast Pacific, particularly jack mackerel, whose recovery requires the cooperation of States, regional economic integration organizations and fishing entities;
The measures taken are not consistent with the recommendations of the Scientific Committee of the SPRFMO, as with self- allocated quota, the recommendation made by such entity is exceeded;
Peru will still have available handling and resource management measures for jack mackerel in its territorial waters, based on the recommendations of its scientific institutions. For 2014, the Ministry of Production (Produce) approved a quota of 130,000 tonnes;
The surprise at the change in the basis of quota calculation regarding last year’s conservation measures, representing a significant reduction in the quota limits that were authorized to Peru for the year 2013.
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