Fisheries and Aquaculture undersecretary Eduardo Riquelme. (Photo: Stock File)

Undersecretary explains Executive’s opposition to giant squid bill

CHILE
Friday, July 13, 2018, 21:20 (GMT + 9)

Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture Eduardo Riquelme explained to the Senate Committee on Maritime Interests, Fisheries and Aquaculture why the Executive opposes the bill seeking set jigging or hand line as the only method to catch giant squid.

The authority warned that there are reasons of substance and form to reject this initiative, recently approved by the Chamber of Deputies, and now lodged in the Senate to face its second constitutional process.

Among the substantive arguments considered by the Executive, he referred to the inconvenience that fishing methods can be defined by law, with the consequent rigidity that this implies.

"It is bad, in general, that the law starts to determine how each of the resources is fished. If now it is performed with the giant squid, then it might continue with the pippin, the horse mackerel, the cod. It is inconvenient, first of all, because these decisions must have a technical basis," said the undersecretary.

And continued: "That this aspect is regulated by law, in addition, establishes rigidity. Because later, to modify the fishing gear, the law would have to be modified. If, however, the gear is determined by administrative means, adjustments can be made," he argued.

But the undersecretary's exposition was expanded especially on the adverse scenario that Chile could face, if the idea of ​​setting jigging as the only catch method, it should prosper.

On that issue, he recalled that Chile is part of the SPRFMO, a multilateral convention that regulates deep-sea fishing in the South Pacific and could determine quotas for the capture of this mollusk in the near future.

Currently, giant squid quota in Chile is 200,000 tonnes. By law, the industrial sector can capture 20 per cent (40,000 tonnes) of that amount, while the portion of the artisanal item reaches 80 per cent (160,000 tonnes).

Riquelme warned that last year, the artisanal sector did not manage to fish its entire quota, although it uses two systems to catch giant squid: jigging and purse seine.

"If with these two fishing techniques, the artisanal sector does not manage today to capture the 160,000 tonnes, it is reasonable to think that only with a fishing gear (jigging), it could capture even a lower quota," he argued.

It should be noted that in this scenario, the industrial sector would be out of this fishery, because their boats are not enabled to catch giant squid with a jigger.

"When the giant squid quota in the SPRFMO begins to be discussed, the great argument that we will have as a country to try to achieve a catch quota will be our landing register. Therefore, it is difficult to maintain the quota that we currently possess (200,000 tonnes), if we can not show historical captures for that amount," said the undersecretary to the senators.

When addressing the formal issues against the bill, Riquelme said that the definition of fishing gear is an administrative matter that corresponds to settle the Undersecretariat, and recalled that his predecessor in office held the same opinion on the issue.

"The Undersecretariat has, by law, the power to regulate fishing gear in each of the fisheries. It is a general attribution that is exercised on the basis of scientific and technological considerations. It is not a position at present," stressed Riquelme in front of the commission.

The authority stressed that these matters are "of the President's exclusive initiative" and, from that perspective, prevented the bill from contravening the provisions of the Constitution. In fact, he said, the Chamber of Deputies had declared the proposal inadmissible in its minute.

Related articles:

- Bill regulating giant squid fishery goes to Senate
- Valparaíso SMEs reject bill regulating giant squid fishery
- ASIPES insists on manual giant squid catch parliamentary project unconstitutionality
- Cámara de Diputados aprueba proyecto que regula la captura de jibia

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