With the start of year 2004, San Salvador concluded the IATTC yellowfin tuna-fishing ban in the Pacific Ocean of the Salvadoran Eastern zone, informed an official source.
The ban was enforced on December 1st by disposition of the Center of Fishery an Aquiculture Development (CENDEPESCA) to preserve the species.
More than 300 vessels are fishing tuna in the Eastern Pacific. The ban applied to vessels operating with Salvadoran flag and therefore concerned the Spanish Calvo Group and the Ecuadorian company Ideal.
Calvo is the main tuna plant located in the bay of La Union, east of El Salvador, operating in that country since last year with two vessels, which have a total capacity of 3,200 tons.
According to the director of the Center for Fishery and Aquiculture Development (CENDEPESCA), Mario Gonzalez, Calvo accepted the ban, conscious that is a measure to preserve the resource that provides them with raw material for their tuna canning activities.
Also the Director of the Group’s operations for Latin America, Manuel Calvo, informed that their vessels have sufficient capacity to operate outside of the banned zone and had therefore no difficulties in supplying their plant with raw material. Calvo explained that during the one-month prohibition period, their vessels’ fishing activities took place in other areas, near the costs of Chile and Peru and in the Central Pacific, near Hawaii, locations where the ban was not enforced.
According to Gonzalez, about 2,000 metric tons of tuna could have been caught during the month-duration of the ban for purse seine tuna fishing; and although this should cause losses, it will become a virtual gain, because in due time, this tonnage will be increased to between 30 and 40 thousand tons.
He explained that the prohibition derived from an agreement adopted last October by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), and was applicable to 14 IATTC country members.
Gonzalez also informed that another tuna fishing ban has been established for next year, which is planned to last 41 days. The 2004 ban will be enforced from August 1st until September 11th, since this is the period when most capture takes place, and will be applicable throughout the entire Pacific Ocean; between the parallels 40 North and 40 South, just above Chilean waters until near Hawaii.
Gonzalez said that according to IATTC data reports, in 2002 the total Eastern Pacific tuna catch reached approximately 600,000 metric tons.