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Jack mackerel. (Photo: Stock File)
The Hague fails in favour of Chile in jack mackerel dispute
CHILE
Friday, June 08, 2018, 22:40 (GMT + 9)
The Permanent Court of Arbitration of The Hague ruled in favour of Chile and dismissed a request from Ecuador to increase its quota for jack mackerel in the southern area of the Pacific Ocean.
Thus, the international tribunal fully accepted the arguments put forward by the Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture Eduardo Riquelme during a hearing held on May 23 last in the Netherlands.
"The decision in relation to which an objection has been presented does not unjustifiably discriminate, neither in form nor in practice, against Ecuador," reads the opinion, stated by a panel of experts in international fisheries law.
The lawsuit was filed on March 29 of this year, when Ecuador filed an objection against a "conservation and ordering measure" adopted by a multilateral organization (SPRFMO) with respect to jack mackerel, which moves between the high seas and the South American coasts.
"The decision in relation to which an objection has been presented is not incompatible with the provisions of the Convention (SPRFMO) or other relevant provisions of International Law," it is added in the decision of the Court of The Hague.
"For the Undersecretariat of Fisheries, in particular, for me as the undersecretary and also a lawyer who have dedicated my professional practice to litigation, it was very gratifying and a profound honour to represent the interest of the country abroad with a team of professionals from the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and the Foreign Ministry that were a support, a fundamental pillar to achieve this great result," said the undersecretary on the opinion.
"It gives us a horizon of stability for five years so that the jack mackerel industry and also the artisanal world, which allocate the quotas assigned to Chile as a country, can have a horizon of stability and tranquility to be able to project their economic activity", added the authority.
Through the claim, Ecuador sought to increase its quota or catch percentage of jack mackerel, which, in Chile's opinion, contravened the agreements of the SPRFMO (South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation).
Chile was one of the main promoters of the SPRFMO, an entity that was created in 2012 to contribute to the recovery of jack mackerel, which at that time was overexploited.
The SPRFMO is an intergovernmental organization made up of 15 members: Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Australia, People's Republic of China, European Union, South Korea, Denmark, New Zealand, Cuba, Russia, Chinese Taipei, United States, Vanuatu and Cook Islands.
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