RGI/AMERICAN SEAFOODS CO. AND "AMERICAN MONARCH": MAKING SURIMI OUT OF SOUTHERN MARINE BIODIVERSITY.

The Southeast Pacific is one of the most productive marine ecosystems, characterized by the high variability in its oceanographic conditions. In this area you find Chile and Peru, representing the second and third most important fishing countries worldwide, with approximatelly 20% of the world fish captures annually.

The Chilean marine production has grown from 900.000 tons in 1975 to 7,6 millions tons in 1994. Between 1986 and 1994, the export of fisheries products grew by a 100%. In 1995, fisheries represented Chile's third largest export income, after mining and forestry. At the present, fisheries and aquaculture brings in US$ 1.700 millions annually, representing 12% of total annual Chilean export value.

Chilean fishery is oriented mainly around intensive captures of small pelagic species. Presently the captures are mainly taken between the northern and central-southern areas, in total 36 pelagic species used for fish meal and fish oil production. But only 4 of these species represents 90% of the total Chilean fish capture: Jack Mackerel (Trachurus murphyii), - representing 60% of the total Chilean fish capture annually, Anchoveta (Engraulis ringens), Horse Mackerel (Scomber japonicus) and Sardine (Sardinox sagax). Both Jack Mackerel and Anchoveta, representing some 87% of the total Chilean fish captures, are straddling stocks (Zuleta y Oliva,1995).

In the southern regions of Chiloe, Aysen and Magellan, besides Antartic waters under CCAMLR administration, the chilean demersal fishery is located between the 41 and 57 southern latitude.

This fishery represent approximatelly 10% of the total captures, but added to aquaculture, it represents 75% of total value of Chilean fishery.

In this remote area, the southern Chilean demersal fishery is sustained by several species that interact trophically. The main target of this fishery is, however, the Patagonian hake , (Merluccius australis). This species is a top predator in the demersal community, consuming principally Patagonian grenadier or Hoki (Macrouronus magallanicus) and Southern Blue Whiting (Micromesistius australis) (Ojeda,1981).

Another important demersal species is the overexploited Cusk Eel (Genypterus blacodes) and the Chilean Seabass or Patagonian Toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides).

Patagonian Hake, Patagonian Grenadier and Southern Blue Whiting are all straddling stocks, with a distribution around the southern cone of Latin America and subantartic waters.They are captured mainly by factory and freezer trawlers, most of these with EU and Asian investors.

Blue Whiting has been a regular by-catch in the Patagonian Hake fishery. Patagonian Grenadier were taken as by-catch too, but decreasing abundance of Patagonian Hake in 1990, made Patagonian Toothfish and Patagonian Grenadier the target resources.

Approximately 1.500 artisanal fishermen, catch the Patagonian Hake from the internal channels and fjords of Chiloe, Aysen and Magellan regions, many of them under extremely poor economical and social conditions. Complementary, the industrial fleet under Chilean flag, is compsed mainly by old Spanish, South Korean and Japanese vessels, exported due to overcapacity in these countries.

PIRATE ACTIVITIES IN THE LATIN AMERICA SOUTHERM CONE DEMERSAL FISHERY

Patagonian Toothfish is an demersal straddling stock, with distribution in the Economics Exclusive Zones of Southern Cone coastal countries (EEZs), Antartic sector under CCAMLR administration and international waters. It is captured mainly by factory and freezer longliners owned by EU, Asian and Chilean investment companies .

In the sub antarctics waters - mainly South Georgias/ Shag Rocks area, Sandwich and Orcadas islands and EEZs - there has been during past two years, reported a widespread illegal fishing in the longline fishery for Toothfish.

The estimated level of illegal captures is between 100% to 200% over the formal quotas. The Scientific Committee of CCAMLR estimated that there had been at least 2,870 tons of illegal catches taken in 1995 in the subarea 48.3 (South Georgias and Shag Rocks) (Antartic Project,1996).

As fish stocks decrease globally, economic pressure will compel nations with long distance fleets and investors, to increase fishing activities in the southern ocean.

CHILEAN FISHERIES: FISH MEAL, SURIMI AND FILLETS NOW, OR FISH FOR THE FUTURE ?

Overexploitation is a generalized characteristic in the Chilean fishing sector (Gomez-Lobos, 1990). Gomez-Lobos exposed that, if the deterioration of the main fishery resources biomass were taken into account, the Gross Geographic Product (GGP) of the Chilean fisheries sector, with an annual growing average of 8,8% between 1980 to 1989, only has been growing at a value equal to half of this official rate.

An unpublished report of Chilean Ceine of the major species reviewed, only one - Anchoveta - shows an increase in biomass between 1985 and 1993. Four others showed signs of severe overexploitation, with declines in its biomass of 96% for Sardine, 85% for Patagonian Hake and 75% for Cusk Eel. Stocks of Common Hake (Merluccius gayi) are reported to have decreased by 30%.(Latin American Weekly Report, 12 September,1996, p:419).

THE CHILEAN DEMERSAL FISHERY: TYPICAL BOOM AND BUST FISHERIES.

The southern and subantarctic demersal fishery is the most overexploited fishery in Chile. It is a clear example of the environmental and social impacts of the export of fishing over-capacity and investment to the southern fisheries, linked with mismanagement, mistakes in the governmental stocks evaluation, non existence of a management plan and weak or inexistent governmental control and monitoring systems.

This is a paradox situation, because the southern demersal fishery, started in 1976, had regulations of the industrial vessels and with TACs (Total Catch Allowed) determinations, established across differents governmental resolutions.

Nevertheless, TACs both for the small scale fishermen and the industrial fleet, have been assigned without real and reliable scientific information of the states of stocks. At the present, there is an unknown amount of different components in the southern ecosystem and little is known about its ecological interrelations.

MORE ABOUT THE AREA WHERE THE AMERICAN MONARCH WILL TRY TO OPERATE.

• From 1976 to the 90's the bottom trawling fleet, mainly linked with european and asiatic TNCs under Chilean flag, stimulating the high international prices, caused the decrease of 87% of Patagonian Hake's biomass. Between 1986 and 1990, the capture efforts grew by five times and created a strong overinvestment. The stock of Cusk Eel are reported to have decreased by 75%. The effects on associated species are not known.

  There is also information indicating that in the fisheries for Patagonian Hake, there is about 70% of discard and waste. Cusk Eel is in an extremely deteriorated situation, as a consequence of high levels of juveniles captures and pressure on the recruitment stock.

  During 1987 and 1988, there was a high level of illegal captures in the spawning and recruitment grounds in the internal channels and fjords of Aysen and Magellan.

  This fishery shows a worrying development in technologies, as the long liners have huge amounts of fishhooks, there is a lack of regulation for fishhooks, double geared trawlers, huge ships motorizations and the absense of geographic position system in the industrial fleets.

  Chilean Undersecretary of Fisheries (1996), has stated that the fishing efforts has been reduced by 80% during the last 6 years, as a consequence of the strong reduction (87%) of the Patagonian Hake's biomass.

  The annual global quotas for Patagonian Hake and Cusk Eel now, are reduced by 50% compared to 1991, including a reduction of fishing seasons.

• From an estimated biomass of nearly 575.000 tons in 1985, the biomass of Patagonian Hake in 1993 was estimated to be less than 85.000 tons. That represent a reduction of 85,2% of its original biomass (Chilean Central Bank, unpublished data.). Aguayo et al (196), characterizes the Patagonian Hake biologically overexploited.

• From an estimated biomass of 65.000 tons in 1985, the 1993 Cusk Eel biomass was estimated to 16.000 tons, representing a drop of 75.3% from its original biomass.( Op.cit.).

  Presently there exists a high risk that the cusk eel stock might be under the critical limits that permit its recovery, as a consequence of the recruitment biomass dropping below 20%. (Subpesca,1996 b)

• From the 92 industrial vessels fishing in 1988, there is only 21 left in the off shore waters and 8 in the internal channels and fjords of Chile. The main part of the other industrial vessels, have changed to flags of convenience or to fish under the Argentinian flag., fishing legally and /or illegally in the southern Atlantic, subantartics waters and Indian Ocean, under very risky condition for its crews.

• From the 11 factory vessels that existed in the Chilean demersal fishery in 1991, owned of transnational companies like Nippon Suissan Kaisha, Taiyo, Daerim Fisheries and Pesca Nova, only 3 vessels remain today.