Argentina's Federal Fisheries Council approves Tierra del Fuego experimental fishing plan for southern king crab, Buenos Aires representative votes against

Argentina's Federal Fisheries Council (CFP), in addition to advancing the quota system for southern king crab (Lithodes santolla), has approved a "Southern Exploratory, Scientific and Experimental Fishing Plan" for the species. The proposal was submitted by the representatives of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and the South Atlantic Islands as a complementary tool to the individual transferable quota (CITC) system, as set out in CFP meeting record No. 29/2026.

According to the record, the plan aims to expand scientific and fisheries knowledge of the existing resources north and south of Península Mitre, north and south of Isla de los Estados, the Beagle Channel and adjacent national waters, in order to determine their distribution, abundance, population structure, biomass and fishing potential.

The operating areas will preferentially cover provincial jurisdiction waters and adjacent national waters, "particularly south and southeast of Península Mitre and around Isla de los Estados." Implementation will be coordinated and managed jointly by the competent authority and the provincial government, with the participation of the National Institute of Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP) and Tierra del Fuego technical bodies, "without altering the respective competences of each jurisdiction."

At the operational level, activities will be carried out through experimental fishing and survey plans, each of which will define the operating areas and periods, fishing effort, gear, conditions and catch quotas, monitoring mechanisms, observers and sampling design. Areas and periods may be adjusted based on results and technical and scientific advice.

The record stipulates that each survey must generate sufficient information to assess species composition, yields and the reproductive characteristics of the resource, "as well as its continuity or differentiation between provincial waters and adjacent national waters." Results will be assessed periodically and submitted to the Council in order to amend or adjust the current management measures for the fishery. The procedure for convening participation in the surveys has not yet been determined and will be defined by the CFP itself. The text also specifies that implementation of the plan "does not affect, suspend or condition" the quota system currently assessed and applicable in the plan's sea areas.

The decision was approved by majority vote. The representative of Buenos Aires Province, Carla Seia, voted against on the grounds that the issue was added to the agenda only on the day of the plenary session and the vote, "without any prior presentation stage, nor even the minimum time for processing and analysis." She also objected to the institutional framework, arguing that the proposal is built on the quota system for the species, "which does not require this framework." She stated that the reservations she had raised regarding the quota system for southern king crab also apply to this proposal, citing the grounds set out in CFP meeting record No. 30/2026.