PERU fishing with guts to report…
Decree No. 38027-MAG aims to regulate Shark Fishing from a minimum size; ie, allows the capture of sharks whose size is greater than that established.
However, it contradicts guideline in determining a tolerance that supports fish Sharks, whose size is between 10 and 30% less than the minimum size.
That would allow the capture of juveniles, as this minimum size is established from the criteria at maturity; that is, the size at which the species begins to play and becomes an adult.
The decree dating from the administration of Laura Chinchilla, but was published this February in the Official Gazette and has an implementation period of two years.
The Costa Rican Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture (INCOPESCA), by agreement AJDIP / 105-2013, was commissioned to prepare this table minimum sizes for eight species of sharks.
“Technically, the minimum size table is fine”, Randall Arauz recognized, President of the Pretoma organization, adding: "But these percentages tolerance constitute a wicket. We are saying that Hammerhead sharks can be caught more than minimum size 30%. It's going to capture an adult to capture a youthful ".
The same decree justified this measure by arguing that the gears are not selective and there is always Bycatch (accidental). To avoid wasting what could not return alive Ocean, these tolerance intervals were determined.
"Due to the selectivity of fishing gear and variability of height and weight of sharks caught, a deviation occurs in the size of capture of these species relative to the sizes of first certain maturity, which leads to set ranges of tolerance for landings of sharks have been caught below the size at maturity and that he could not be returned to the sea alive ", Reads the document.
"Like it or not, there is always a risk of bycatch and, therefore, these tolerances are handled"Said Gustavo Meneses, current President of INCOPESCA, adding: "The point here is what that level of tolerance that can be handled. Within the monitoring that the institution you perform the necessary adjustments will be made and hand this same sector. "
"That will be key to systematize data, because currently there is no statistical certainty of fisheries. It takes out a monitoring of the target species and bycatch species to keep statistics per day and have control over stocks (stocks) "Said Fernando Mora, Deputy Minister of Water and Seas Ministry of Environment (MINAE).
This Decree elasmobranch (includes sharks and rays) complements published in March 2013 on minimum sizes for species of commercial interest, in compliance with the request of the Comptroller of the Republic in 2012 and was reiterated in the 2014 report.
Conservation measure. When set size at maturity, it is investing in the sustainability of stocks, since the reproduction of the species is guaranteed so that individuals bring new and has the resource in the future.
In this sense, the minimum landing sizes are a measure of management and management for fisheries, which promotes the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources.
In addition, the "spirit" is in keeping with the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) adopted by Costa Rica, which promotes measures to reduce the incidental Fisheries and reduce discards.
For the decree to elasmobranchs, INCOPESCA set the minimum size of some species such as the tiger shark and Negra- tip from the total length.
In the case of silky and hammerhead shark, that size is given by the length of precaudal back, which is measured from the start of the dorsal fin to the beginning of what is commonly called the tail.
Shark blue is the one whose size is measured from the interdorsal length, which is the distance between the first and second dorsal fin.
"Too bad that this measure of tolerance given away with the good intention of the regulation"Said Arauz.
Prohibitions. As for the lines, this decree prohibits the capture of the Stingray, the devil and Raya Raya whip.
This reflects a precautionary measure in the absence of technical study showing that striped Fisheries does not undermine the sustainability of marine resources. “The preliminary analyzes related to the Biomass of manta rays motivate the adoption of measures of a precautionary nature to ensure the long-term conservation of these species of commercial interest and the increase of their Biomass”, says the decree.
The same precautionary principle applies in the case of oceanic white tip shark.
SOURCE: Nacion.com
