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The Argentine trawl fishery for Hoki Macruronus magellanicus has received accreditation from the Marine Stewardship Council (click here).

The fishery, which operates in the Argentine Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ) and adjacent waters from 39-56°S (FAO Statistical Area 41), was certified this month following independent assessment to the MSC standard for sustainable, well-managed fisheries.  In 2008 landings of Hoki  reached over 110 000 tonnes.  Eleven fishing vessels are currently covered under the accreditation certificate.  In 2011 the annual catch for the fishery was 70 000 tonnes.  The period of accreditation extends from May 2012 to May 2017.

"Four fleets target Patagonian hoki in Argentinean waters: (1) ice chilled vessels; (2) hake freezers vessels; (3) factory freezer vessel; (4) surimi freezer vessel.  The freezer trawler fleet consists of vessels ranging from 29 to 118 m operating bottom and semipelagic trawls nets. The gear used is mainly the bottom trawl; those specialized in hoki use semi pelagic trawls, which are more appropriate for hoki" (click here).

Mitigation measures to avoid seabird mortality in the Argentine Hoki fishery include placing plastic cones on trawl warps and deploying paired bird-scaring lines.  Cleaning, weighting and strapping the trawl have been proposed to reduce its attractiveness to birds and to increase its sink rate.  Training and awareness programmes are planned to increase adoption of mitigation measures in the fishery.

Black-browed Albatrosses gather behind a trawler in the South Atlantic
Photograph by Graham Parker

Click here to access the final assessment report for the Argentine Hoki trawl fishery, which contains a detailed section on interactions between the fishery and seabirds, including ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 30 May 2012