Deputy Mariana Zuvic (JxC party) (Photo: courtesy Revista Puerto)

Bill to regulate discards

ARGENTINA
Friday, November 20, 2020, 17:30 (GMT + 9)

It was presented yesterday by the Santa Cruz legislator Mariana Zuvic from Together for Change. It proposes a protocol for the management of accompanying fauna and forces the enforcement authority to develop a national discard program.

Deputy Mariana Zuvic (JxC party) presented a bill to regulate discard in the fishing industry and establish a legal framework for its proper environmental management in order to eradicate such practices within the fleet.

The project seeks to promote sustainability, responsible fishing practices and the conservation of marine living resources. The vessels covered by the standard will be those of the national flag, applicable to all maritime areas under Argentine jurisdiction.

One of the main aspects of the Program is the preparation of a research program, which aims to generate a diagnosis of the current situation through the transfer of technical information to design compliance goals for the management and elimination of fishing discards.

The announcement of the presentation of the project was broadcast on social networks by the Deputy and was accompanied by a video in which it was explained what a fishing discard is, the prohibited conduct in numbers and the consequences of maintaining this type of action.

The project proposes the production of a Companion Fauna Management Protocol, taking into account that there are cases in which their capture is inevitable. "It is essential to establish the management and management procedures to achieve their appropriate comprehensive use and encourage their commercial exploitation, as is the case of fish meal and roe from the different species of accompanying fauna, being able to achieve an added value of the products with the objective of avoiding food waste ", remarks the legislator from Santa Cruz among the foundations of the initiative

The project defines the scope of some terms related to the problem, such as "discard", "target species", "accompanying fauna", "incidental capture", which will be of enormous importance for the rest of the legislators who are devoted to their analysis understand what is being talked about.

Photo: courtesy Change.org ►

The curious thing about the project is that it entrusts to the enforcement authority the elaboration of a National Fishing Discard Program through a participatory process that involves the private sector, the academic and scientific sector, and civil society organizations concerned with fishing activity and with proven track record, which must be updated every five years.

Zuvic's initiative also raises the application of the Disposal Control System. In this way, the subjects reached by this initiative are required to install and keep in operation during the entire fishing trip the Image and Video Recording Device (DRIV) that allows recording discard actions.

Although the obligation to install cameras on board was already addressed by Provision 1/11 of the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture, in almost ten years practically no results have been achieved. A very low percentage of vessels effectively applied the regulation, which was extended multiple times, due to its low degree of implementation by vessels.

► Photo: courtesy Change.org

“The incorporation of the DRIV, added to the work in conjunction with the On-Board Observer Program, aims to detect the offenders who carry out fishing discards and thus be able to carry out an adequate monitoring of the fishing trip under the standards established by regulation ”, Sums up the bill.

Likewise, the figure of the Discard Management Plan is incorporated for the vessels included in this law, who must compulsorily present their compliance goals for discard management as a requirement for obtaining their fishing permit.

This bill also provides for the establishment of penalties for offenders, subject to Mobile Units that have the highest octane fuel for sale to the public as a reference value.

Author:  Roberto Garrone / Revista Puerto

editorial@seafood.media
www.seafood.media

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