Certification Schemes in Argentine Fisheries: Opportunities and Challenges for Seabird Conservation

Abstract published as ACAP SBWG9 Inf 11.

In Argentina, one major factor playing a significant role in the implementation of better fishing practices is related to the advent of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification schemes in marine fisheries, given that one of its component addresses the impact of fishing operations on the ecosystem (e.g. effects on the environment, related species, bycatch). In recent years, several fisheries in Argentina—ranging from coastal ice trawlers targeting the Argentine anchovy Engraulis anchoita to freezer trawlers targeting the Patagonian scallop Zygochlamys patagonica and the Patagonian grenadier or Hoki Macruronus magellanicus have been certified under the MSC scheme. Although these processes are not driven by the Government certainly creates opportunities to develop better fishing practices including in the agendas of fishermen not only target species but also other management issues affecting the marine environment. In this essay, we offer an overview of the status of the certification schemes implemented in three referred Argentine fisheries certified under the MSC scheme regarding seabird conservation, by (1) reviewing the nature of interactions between pelagic seabirds (albatrosses and petrels) and fisheries, particularly in the Southwest Atlantic, (2) defining the key features of certified Argentine fisheries taking into account the certification process per fishery and extant fishery regulation and management measures related to both certified and non-certified species/fisheries, (3) exploring up-to-date scientific, legal, and political actions taken to protect seabirds in Argentine waters, referring to possible steps for implementing an ecosystem approach to national fisheries within the frame of Argentina’s National Plan of Action—Seabirds and its interaction with current certification schemes.