Argentine Hoki
Fishery Improvement Project 

Last update: November 2012


Species: hoki (Macruronus magellanicus)


FIP Scope/Scale: Fishery level

 
FIP Contact: Organización Internacional Agropecuaria (Spanish: International Agriculture Organization; Argentina)
 
FIP Participants:
  • PESANTAR-Nissui
  • San Arawa 
  • ESTREMAR-American Seafoods
  • Yuken SA
  • Pesquera Ceres S.A.
FIP Stakeholders:
INIDEP (Fisheries Research Institute)
Federal Fisheries Council
 
Fishery Location: Argentina, for map see Hoki - Argentine
 
Sustainability Information:
See Summary and Sustainability Info tabs on this link Hoki - Argentine
 
FIP Formed (Stage 2): 2007
 
FIP Stage: 6.  Fishery is MSC certified (Argentina hoki)
 
Current Improvement Recommendations:
  • Improve stock research and assessment, including collaboration with Chilean scientists
  • Total allowable catch (TAC) following lower risk scenaria from scientific recommendation
  • Develop a management plan for the fishery with clear reference points, goals, terms, and harvest rules
  • Collect data on the impacts in the seabed and demersal/benthic communities.
Background:
SFP is associated on this FIP with CeDePesca, a South American NGO whose mission is to work for socially, economically, and ecologically sustainable fisheries.   CeDePesca focused on the work with the Argentine industry regarding Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) assessment. This semi-pelagic and bottom-trawling fishery presently accounts for around 70,000 tonnes and  achieved MSC certification in May 2012. SFP is now working with its major buyer and supplier partners to support the fishery meet the MSC conditions set by the Conformity Assessment Body (CAB).
 
Most of the Argentine hoki products are exported. Some of the fishing vessels produce surimi on board, which is mostly sold in Japan. In 2010, Japan was the main market for Argentine hoki products, accounting for 25 percent of total volume. France (20%), Brazil (11%), Spain (7%), China (6%), and Germany (5%) are the next important markets, with the remaining 27 percent split between dozens of countries.
 
The main weaknesses of this fishery are related to some failures of scientific research and assessment, particularly gaps in geographical coverage of the survey, which does not include some key areas around the Malvinas Islands; breeding zones are not known, so is difficult to evaluate the stock during the aggregation season; the biological limit reference point changes over time and target reference point has not been established. Although real landings are lower than the scientific recommendation, the Federal Fisheries Council (FFC) established total allowable catch (TAC) at 7 percent over scientific recommendation for the last 3 years. For 2011, the scientific recommendation was between 82 (pessimistic) and 140 (optimistic) thousand tonnes and the TAC was set at 150 thousand tonnes, higher than the recommendation.
 
The latest scientific reports from INIDEP show a declining trend and some concerns about the real status of the stock. These concerns are coincident with similar ones expressed by Chilean scientists (see Chilean hoki report). It should be noted the CAB chose to use the risk-based framework to assess Performance Indicator 1.1.1 related to the stock status citing doubts about the stock assessment methodology used by INIDEP.
 
FIP Objectives:
  • Have a robust stock assessment and scientific recommendations with limit and target reference points
  • Develop a management plan for the fishery with clear goals, terms, and harvest rules
  • Establish TAC according to the more precautionary scientific recommendation
  • Collect data on the impacts in the seabed and demersal/benthic communities.
Progress Update:
Between 2009 and 2011, TACs for years 2010 through 2012 were reduced from 170,000 to 140,000 tonnes, which is more in line with scientific recommendations, but probably not enough to increase the biomass level.
 
One of the barriers to the fishery being more pro-active on recovery, establishing a more conservative TAC, is the way that individual transferable quotas (ITQs) were allocated in 2010. Some of the common hake landings were reported as hoki landings in order to avoid reporting common hake over the quota. Subsequently, real hoki producers were affected with a quota under the hoki fishing capacity, while others were not using their quota. It is expected that this problem will be solved by 2013, when the unused quota will be redistributed between real users.
  
2010
In January 2010, the MSC announced that the Argentine hoki fishery was entering MSC full assessment. This process was completed in May 2012, when the fishery achieved MSC certification.
 
2011 
In March 2011, a participatory Management Commission was established by the Federal Fisheries Council (FFC) to get advice on adequate measures for this fishery. This Commission comprises managers, researchers, and the industry.  It is expected that the Commission will propose a management plan to the FFC, with goals, terms, and an adequate strategy to increase reproductive biomass levels towards a target reference point.
 
Individual transferable quotas (ITQs) were allocated.
 
 
2012
 April – June
The certification body chose to use the risk-based framework for Performance Indicators 1.1.1 (stock status), 2.1.1 (related to retained species), 2.2.1 (related to bycatch species), 2.4.1 (related to habitat), and 2.5.1 (related to ecosystem).  In May 2012, the fishery got MSC certification. Results from the full assessment included recommendations and conditions to:
  • Improve the stock assessment incorporating hypothesis of more complex stock structure and other uncertainties
  • Develop a management plan that explicitly includes clear target and limit reference points
  • Better understand the fished stock and their degree of mixing with the hoki stock in the South Pacific
  • Classify all fleets operating on the hoki stock by fishing gears, practices, and net selectivity to allow the measurement of their impacts on hoki and other species
  • Ensure that there is a strategy for managing bycatch that is designed to avoid a risk of serious or irreversible harm to bycatch populations
  • Provide evidence that the indirect effects on endangered, threatened, or protected (ETP) species are unlikely to create unacceptable impacts on these species
  • Ensure that there are precautionary management strategies designed to decrease effects on ETP species meeting national and international agreements
  • Ensure that the information gathered is adequate to determine the risk posed to habitat types by the fishery and the effectiveness of the strategy to manage impacts on these habitats.
August – September
In August 2012, the group of client companies for the MSC certification designated a coordinator to follow up on the improvements process.

 

 
 
Click here for a comprehensive description of FIP results

 

FIP Contact: If you would like more information about the FIP or wish to support the FIP, please contact SFP.