Chubut Backs Quota System for Argentine Shrimp; 20 Vessels to Conduct Exploratory Survey Before Setting 2026-2027 Season Opening
The fisheries authority of Chubut Province, Argentina, has confirmed that the opening date of the 2026-2027 provincial-waters shrimp season will depend on the results of a biological exploratory survey in the last week of October, involving 20 vessels—16 from the yellow fleet and 4 artisanal boats. At the same time, the province has publicly backed introducing a national system of transferable individual fishing quotas, though the allocation formula remains undecided.
Shrimp fishing in Chubut Province, Argentina, is entering the final stage on two key issues. According to a report by Argentine fisheries information service Pescare on October 21, 2026, Chubut fisheries secretary Diego Brandán said the opening date of the 2026-2027 provincial-waters shrimp season will not be set by calendar date but based on the results of a biological exploratory survey.
The survey is scheduled for the last week of October, with 20 vessels participating—16 from the yellow fleet (flota amarilla) and 4 artisanal boats. The survey will cover the provincial effort-restricted zones north and south of Rawson, examining shrimp distribution and abundance, size composition, commercial fishing efficiency and bycatch. Brandán summed up the principle in one phrase: "First the data, then the boats." As of the report's latest update, the Chubut fisheries secretariat's resolution formally setting the survey schedule had yet to be published.
Amid preparations for the provincial season, Brandán publicly backed a shrimp quota system during the Conxemar trade fair in Vigo, Spain. Speaking to this publication before departure, he said the quota system "can bring predictability, transparency and better control tools," and stressed the need to review each vessel's catch history. Provincial production reference figures he cited included about 106,500 tonnes in the 2023-2024 season and between 90,000 and 91,000 tonnes in the most recent season; he also proposed a reference average of 80,000 to 90,000 tonnes, a level he said could support the operation of the Chubut fleet. The report explicitly notes that these figures are catch volumes Brandán mentioned as background to the event—neither quotas allocated to Chubut nor a commitment to allocation under a future federal quota system.
Chubut cabinet coordination secretary Andrés Pedro Arbeletche also publicly backed the quota system and called for recognition of historical catch volumes associated with Chubut.
The institutional path for the quota system is not yet complete. According to the report, the minutes of recent Federal Fisheries Council (Consejo Federal Pesquero, CFP) meetings do not yet show formal consideration of a quota system for Argentine shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri). Article 27 of Federal Fisheries Law No. 24.922 requires quota allocation to weigh antecedentes including catch history, employment, investment and production, and to take applicable penalties into account; it also requires setting a maximum concentration cap for a single company or corporate group. Historical catch volumes are therefore only one part of the discussion, and the final outcome will depend on the weight given to other factors and on the specific rules approved for shrimp.
At the federal level, a request from Santa Cruz Province has entered the meeting record. CFP meeting minutes No. 25/2026 include the province's request to consider a 50,000-tonne social reserve for shrimp as compensation for fishing restrictions in Golfo San Jorge.
Labour negotiations ahead of the provincial season's opening have already been settled. The Chubut yellow fleet chamber (CAFACh) reached agreement with the Argentine Association of Captains, Pilots and Fishing Vessel Owners, the National Union of Navigation Officers (SICONARA) and the United Maritime Workers' Union (SOMU) to set the reference price for trawl-caught shrimp used to calculate output at 1,638 pesos per kilogram, up 26% from the previous 1,300 pesos. The agreement also revised fixed and guaranteed wage items, with the contract covering the season from October 2026 to March 2027. Brandán said the provincial government's role in the negotiations was to promote early dialogue among the parties, with discussions held through the fisheries development platform promoted by Governor Ignacio Torres.
Labour disputes in onshore processing remain unresolved. On October 19, Agustín de la Fuente, president of the Argentine Patagonian Fishing Industry Chamber (CAPIP), asked the provincial government to intervene to prevent the conflict between Conarpesa and the Food Industry Workers' Union (STIA) from affecting the entire industry.