Argentina Patagonian toothfish - Fishery Improvement Project

Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) is a long-lived species (> 50 years), which inhabits waters associated to the southern shelves and slopes of South America and around the sub-Antarctic islands of the Southern Ocean. There is no evidence of large-scale geographic migrations, and studies using genetics, biochemistry, parasite fauna and tagging indicate a high degree of isolation between populations in the Indian Ocean, South Georgia and the Patagonian Shelf. In Argentina, the fishery is managed by the Fisheries Federal Council (Consejo Federal Pesquero, CFP) and the National Secretariat for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería y Pesca de la Nación, SAGyP), while research and stock assessment are undertaken by the National Institute of Fisheries Research and Development (Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero, INIDEP). The Patagonian toothfish fishery is subject to total allowable catches issued by the CFP, attending advice by INIDEP. The companies ESTREMAR, NUEVA PESCANOVA, PESANTAR and SAN ARAWA have teamed up with CeDePesca to implement this FIP with the ultimate goal of achieving a certifiable status for the Argentina Patagonian toothfish bottom-trawl fishery in a timeframe of two years.