The Chilean industrial fishing fleet has lodged a new claim against indiscriminate deep-sea fishing. This time around, they made their request directly to the Cabinet, to forbid port landings in Chile by foreign deep-sea vessels that do not comply with the conservation regime in force for the country''s jack mackerel resource.
Sources from the National Society of Fisheries (Sonapesca) stated that if the Chilean government gives the go-ahead to the industry request this year, it would hamper the presence of 80 Korean ships keen on operating within the limit of the 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The sector has also demanded that the government define a "national policy to ensure the sustainability of the jack mackerel resource."
The industry specifically requested conditions be set regarding third-country, deep-sea fishing vessel landings, to ensure co-operation in the conservation of the jack mackerel, and full compliance with fishing legislation. They even suggested that port service access should be contingent upon the vessel having a satellite-positioning system connected to their national network.
According to Sonapesca, in the two first weeks of the year, several Asian factory vessels were detected operating within the Chilean EEZ limits, disregarding conservation measures. These vessels, they asserted, have been permitted to land without hindrance in the port of Coquimbo.
"We are dealing with factory vessels, which are prohibited in the Chilean jack mackerel fishery," a spokesperson for the union pointed out. They said that these "freezers transport to other mother ships out on the deep sea, without the need for landings." While claiming that should they need a port for logistical purposes, they are permitted to anchor freely in Chilean ports, they added.
The sector complains that these factory vessels, besides "wiping out the resource indiscriminately," do not provide employment nor do they pay tax in Chile. They are also not subject to controls, regulations, or obligations.
It is estimated that last year foreign fleets, within the borders of the Chilean EEZ, caught some 120,000 tonnes of jack mackerel
