The Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP) and conservation NGO The Nature Conservancy (TNC) signed a collaboration agreement on Friday that promotes joint research activities to advance the sustainability of fisheries in the Chilean coast and contribute to the protection of the marine ecosystem of the country.
The four-year agreement will develop and expand the tools to improve monitoring, surveillance and assessment programs of the main Chilean fisheries, which is the main purpose of IFOP.
The agreement will also allow for the improvement of the design and implementation of environmental and fishery assessment protocols that evaluate the effectiveness of the Benton Resource Management and Exploitation Areas (AMERB) system that exists in Chile, and of marine conservation instruments such as reserves and marine parks.
In addition, both entities will collaborate to increase resources - nationally and internationally - to generate the necessary scientific information to measure the levels and composition of bycatch in Chilean fisheries, and to design strategies or mitigation and monitoring measures that reduce its impact on the Chilean marine ecosystem.
"By signing this agreement we hope to improve IFOP’s technical and professional competences and restate the conservationist and responsible vocation of the State of Chile in the exploitation and preservation of marine resources," said Luis Parot, IFOP executive director.
Francisca Tondreau, director of the TNC program in Chile, added: "This collaboration agreement is very relevant for us, which allows us to work towards the sustainability of Chilean fisheries, conserving coastal marine ecosystems and maintaining the balance between the use of marine resources and marine conservation."
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