First-day exploratory catches fluctuate in northern Argentina shrimp grounds; 1,500 kg single haul not sustained
After poor results in the southern grounds, the Argentine fleet began exploratory fishing in the northern grounds on October 27, 2026. First-day catches per haul ranged from 40 to 50 boxes to more than 100 boxes before falling back again; a 1,500 kg single haul occurred in Northern Zone 1 but was not sustained.
After poor exploratory results in the southern grounds, the Argentine fleet began exploratory fishing in the northern grounds on October 27, with first-day catches fluctuating. The first few hauls yielded about 40 to 50 boxes, with hake among the catch; some vessels then reported hauls of more than 100 boxes with little hake, but catches fell back again afterward.
The fleet taking part in this exploratory trip is divided into two parts. Northern Zone 1 lies between 43° and 43°30′ S, roughly from the mouth of Golfo Nuevo (boca del Golfo Nuevo) to Puerto Rawson. A single haul of 1,500 kg occurred in this area but was not stable—after vessels moved position and made other hauls, catches fell back again. Overall, commercially sized Argentine red shrimp are present in the area, but not in large quantities, at least on the first day of monitoring.
In Northern Zone 2, from Puerto Rawson to Isla Escondida, vessels had greater difficulty finding shrimp aggregations: hauls were low and hake appeared in some areas.
Per-vessel catches were below expectations, but the average is said to remain above the required minimum CPUE threshold, while hake appeared as bycatch in several areas.
The fleet hopes to complete three days of exploratory fishing in order to gain a clearer picture of resource distribution in the northern grounds; as of this issue's press time, the competent authority had not given contrary information on whether the exploratory trip would continue.
However, the overall assessment of the biological status of the resource and the scale of entry into provincial waters could still prompt the parties concerned to wait one to two weeks before conducting exploratory fishing in the area, to determine whether opening the season is appropriate. An exploratory trip was conducted in 2025, and because the resource status lacked robustness, a decision was made at that time to pause until mid-November before opening the season.
Some representative figures at processing plants believe it would be better to wait until Argentine red shrimp are firmer and closer to December before opening the season, to avoid excess inventory and lower prices. Meanwhile, the fleet without its own processing plants is more eager to open provincial waters.
At present, exploratory fishing is still continuing in order to complete three effective fishing days, after which all information will be compiled before a decision is made.