Falklands Committee Describes Seasonal Squid Harvest This Year as “Exceptional”

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Falkland Islands’ second Loligo squid fishing season this year has had an “exceptional start” the Director of Natural Resources Dr. Andrea Clausen told the Fisheries Committee last Thursday.

About 17,000 tons of the mollusk had been taken by August 24.

The committee was also given a scientific presentation on a biomass survey in July that indicated that the total biomass of loligo in Falklands waters (92,194 tons) was the second highest for the second season since 2006 (second only to 2018).

However, Dr Alexander Arkhipkin explained that high biomass did not necessarily mean a large catch – density is a more important factor than biomass, he said.

The Fisheries Committee also heard that research during the first Loligo season had shown improvements in marine mammal and seabird bycatch mortalities, but that net entanglement remained an issue and that experiments needed to be carried out using faster sinking nets.

Dr Clausen said that hake catches were still reasonable but that stocks were being monitored closely with a full report to come.

The committee was given an initial presentation and was told that 30,000 tonnes had been caught by August 24 this year, second only to last year’s record. (Penguin News)

Source: Pengiun News/MercoPress