Decisions taken at the recent South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO) meeting allow the Chilean fleet a 716,758 tonne jack mackerel quota – a 135,000 tonne increase on the 2022 catch limit.
During negotiations during the SPRFMO meeting in Ecuador, the Chilean delegation highlighted the strength of the jack mackerel stock.
‘The status of the stock was that is is estimated to be underexploited, with a spawning biomass much higher than that corresponding to the maximum sustainable yield and with a fishing mortality much lower than that generated by that yield,’ stated Chile’s Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture Julio Salas, commenting that this has been achieved through a combination of precautionary management based on a recovery plan, a catch control rule and an increase in recruitment levels in recent years.
‘Chile can claim a significant role in the recovery of this resource,’ he said.
The 16 SPRFMO member countries and three non-cooperating members to set a TAC of 1,080,000 tonnes for jack mackerel, an overall increase of 180,000 tonnes on the 2022 figure. Chile was also able to negotiate an increase of 1.8% in its share, giving it a 66.37% quota share in the fishery.
With an estimated value of between US$280 and 300 per tonne of jack mackerel, this increase for the Chilean fleet represents an additional potential value of between US$37 million and 40 million. The total value of the quota assigned to Chile this year will be between US$200 and 215 million.
The Chilean delegation that attended the meeting in Ecuador was headed by Undersecretary Julio Salas, accompanied by representatives of the Chilean Foreign Ministry and Navy. Fishing organisation representatives also attended as observers and, for the first time, artisanal fishing organisations were present.
