Argentina Chubut red shrimp season preview: 20 vessels to begin exploratory survey on October 26; industry calls for quota floor of 85,000 tonnes

The new red shrimp (langostino) season at Rawson port in Chubut province, Argentina, has not yet opened, but multiple issues—exploratory survey arrangements, labor disputes, climate uncertainty and quota discussions—are already on the table. In an interview with Puerto magazine published on October 22, Gustavo González, president of the Chubut yellow fleet business chamber (CAFACh), summed up the season's core demands as safeguarding operational continuity and preventing market problems from hitting companies and workers.

On the exploratory survey, González said the Fisheries Secretariat notified on Tuesday, October 20, that the biological survey will begin on Monday, October 26; the chamber plans to draw lots on Friday, October 23, to determine participating vessels and report the list to the competent authority. Initially 20 vessels will take part in the survey, with 4 effective fishing days, provided weather conditions allow the plan to proceed. The regular plan has two stages: the first stage covers the southern zone, from south of Isla Escondida to Bahía Camarones, with the entire fleet participating for two days; the northern zone is then divided into two sub-zones, one off Rawson and one further north, with 10 vessels allocated to each. The industry expectation is that if the survey results are favorable, the fishing grounds could open in early November.

Weather is another uncertainty. González expressed concern that unstable weather and strong winds could prevent the 4-day survey from being completed. He also mentioned possible effects of environmental change and El Niño, but said he has no scientific background and cannot predict the specific consequences for resource behavior. From industry experience, as water temperatures rise, red shrimp usually enter the fishing grounds in greater intensity; however, he noted that high temperatures have not yet appeared and weather conditions are still changing.

On the labor front, González ruled out the possibility that the conflict between the food industry union (STIA) and the Conarpesa group could spread across the entire industry, but asked the executive branch to intervene to prevent the dispute from affecting the start of operations. He stressed that the agreements reached over the past month are the guarantee for normal activity: "The rest of the companies and unions have already signed agreements, and I don't see a generalized conflict arising." He believes it should be seen as a specific negotiation between the two parties involved, not a threat to the entire supply chain; at the same time, he acknowledged that given the number of workers the company involved depends on for its operations, reaching a solution is important. "This is a specific conflict," he reiterated, with the goal that the dispute not turn into measures that jeopardize work at other plants. "If it can be resolved in advance and the conflict does not exist, so much the better."

The commercial situation was listed by González as one of the main challenges for the coming season. He recalled that insufficient demand and accumulated inventories have left the industry doubtful about whether it can sell its production and maintain income. "Sales are quite stagnant, demand is not strong, and there are inventories at the national level," he warned. Beyond the fleet owners' own assessment, social and economic tensions in European countries, including France and Spain, could also affect consumption. "Commercially we are very worried," he concluded. Against this backdrop, the challenge also lies in ensuring that products find buyers, prices remain at profitable levels, and companies can meet their financial commitments throughout the season.

The quota issue was another focus of the interview. González made CAFACh's position clear: the Rawson fishery needs at least 85,000 tonnes of available volume for a quota system to be viable. He said this figure comes from the chamber's various calculations, the results of recent seasons and the processing capacity already installed across the province. "The minimum volume for Rawson must be 85,000 tonnes," he said. He noted that available volume below this level could leave some companies without enough raw material, endangering jobs and potentially forcing plant closures. González recalled that Rawson once had a season of about 120,000 tonnes and about 95,000 tonnes last season; against this background, he believes accepting the aforementioned floor already means "giving up part of historical production" in exchange for a system that "could bring predictability." He explained that the chamber's position is that a quota system could benefit fishery organization, but must take into account the existing production structure and the need to preserve employment. However, he made clear that, as of now, the Fisheries Secretariat has not formally convened a workshop to launch discussions, nor has it sought the opinions of the chambers.

In summarizing the factors that determine a "good season," González returned to three main threads: relations between companies and unions, the evolution of international demand, and the financial capacity to sustain operations. At the end of the interview, he gave a statement summarizing industry expectations: "I hope this really is a year in which we can work calmly. I think that is what companies and workers need most—may this be a season where reason comes first and work comes first."