Argentina's Federal Fisheries Council approves hake and scallop quotas; CAIPA seeks review of fishing unit fee basis

Argentina's Federal Fisheries Council (CFP) held a new plenary meeting on Thursday, November 5, at its institutional headquarters in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. The meeting began at 13:30 with a quorum of nine members and produced Acta CFP N° 29/2026. The meeting was chaired by veterinarian Juan Antonio López Cazorla, with Dr. Arturo Idoyaga Molina and Lic. María Silvia Giangiobbe representing the National Executive Power, and Lic. Paola Gucioni representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship. The coastal province representatives were: Lic. Carla Estefanía Seain for Buenos Aires Province, Sergio Paleo for Río Negro, Dr. Andrés Pedro Arbeletche for Chubut, Sergio Klimenko for Santa Cruz, and Diego Marzioni for Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands. Also present were the Council's institutional coordinator, Lic. Karina Solá Torino, and legal advisor Dr. Alejo Toranzo.

The Council unanimously approved allocating 3,780 tonnes of hake (Merluccius hubbsi) from the administrative management reserve to the administrative reserve for the 2026 allocation period. The decision was based on requests submitted by Chubut and Buenos Aires provinces, both citing social interest needs and the absence of available tonnes in their respective social reserves. The allocation is subject to payment of the administrative reserve allocation fee under Articles 15 and 16 of Resolution 23/2009, and the Institutional Coordination Office will notify the competent authority of the decision for registration and notification to the parties concerned.

The Council also unanimously approved an additional allocation of 798.9 tonnes of Patagonian scallop (Zygochlamys patagonica) to Wanchese Argentina S.R.L., drawn from the administrative reserve of Management Unit B. The company had reported that the transferable individual catch quotas (CITC) of the vessels BP Miss Tide and Erin Bruce were about to be exhausted, with exploitation levels exceeding 85% of available volume, and requested the additional volume to sustain operations during the remainder of the season. The Council considered the request together with a report from the National Directorate of Fisheries Coordination and Inspection, which confirmed that available tonnes existed in the corresponding reserve. The allocation is conditional on payment of the fee established by Resolution 20/2014 and is recorded in the quota utilization system's accounts.

The Argentine Chamber of Fishing Industry (CAIPA) submitted a request for review of the use of the fishing unit (UP) as the billing basis for economic obligations other than infraction penalties. The request concerns taxes, duties and royalties applicable to fishing activity, and the chamber offered its views on the relationship between the economic evolution of these charges and the industry's operating costs. The Council took note of the request and recalled that the values of the Single Fishing Right (DUE) and transfer rights had been converted to pesos under Resolution 3/2025 of March 27, 2025; for the remaining obligations mentioned by the chamber, the Council noted that they fall within the competence of the competent authority. The minutes record the industry request and the Council's definition of institutional competence, with no new fee adjustment established.

Based on four assessments and scientific recommendations from the National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP), the Council unanimously adopted Resolution 15/2026, setting a total maximum allowable catch of 277,200 tonnes for four managed stocks of anchovy and chub mackerel. For anchovy (Engraulis anchoita), 120,000 tonnes are authorized north of 41°S and 105,000 tonnes south of that line; for chub mackerel (Scomber colias), the limit is 14,200 tonnes north of 39°S and 38,000 tonnes south of it. The technical reports describe good biological conditions for both anchovy stocks, with low fishing mortality for the southern stock; the southern chub mackerel stock is deemed underexploited, while the northern stock remains under a precautionary standard due to limited available information for estimating stock abundance. The Council also asked INIDEP to submit precautionary recommendations for 2027 so that catch limits are in place from the start of next year, subject to subsequent scientific updates.

The meeting approved by majority vote a proposal from Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands province, with Buenos Aires Province voting against. The proposal aims to implement a southern exploration, research and experimental fishing program covering the north and south of Península Mitre, Isla de los Estados, the Beagle Channel and adjacent national waters, with the goal of expanding knowledge of resource distribution, abundance, population structure, biomass and fishing potential in these areas. The program provides for coordination mechanisms between the national competent authority and the province, with participation by INIDEP and provincial technical bodies; each survey must have a specific plan defining area, operating period, gear, authorized effort, quotas, observers and monitoring mechanisms. Results will be submitted periodically to the Council to assess adjustments to management measures; vessels will be convened according to procedures established by the Council itself. The Buenos Aires Province representative opposed the proposal on the grounds of insufficient time for consideration, noting that it was introduced and voted on the same day, and questioned its connection to the king crab quota regime, whose basis was set out in Acta CFP N° 30/2026.

Regarding the convening of vessels for inclusion in squid (Illex argentinus) fishing, the Council decided by majority vote to reject the reconsideration request filed by SWA S.A. concerning the non-admission of its project, with Buenos Aires Province abstaining.