Minister of Foreign Affairs of Argentina, Santiago Cafiero

The Argentine Government denounces British ships for illegal fishing in the vicinity of the South Georgia Islands

ARGENTINA
Saturday, June 25, 2022, 15:00 (GMT + 9)

The Foreign Ministry warned about the irregularity and considered that the United Kingdom does not comply with the regulations

The Argentine Foreign Ministry denounced today that British-flagged fishing vessels operate "illegally in the waters surrounding the South Georgia Islands, with illegitimate licenses issued by the United Kingdom and outside the multilateral framework" that governs the activity in said area. According to a statement released by Argentine, "fishing in these waters has been regulated since 1982 by the Commission for the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), a multilateral organization made up of 26 member countries, including the Argentina and the United Kingdom".

“For this season, it was not possible to adopt a measure that would enable the fishing of the Patagonian toothfish species in Georgia. British fishing is therefore in violation of the Ccrvma regime that for 40 years managed to prevent overfishing and the collapse of the Antarctic marine ecosystem,” the document detailed.

Argentina “categorically rejected, bilaterally and multilaterally, these unilateral measures by the United Kingdom, which constitute a serious breach of the norms of the Antarctic Treaty System”.

The Patagonian Toothfish is the commercial species affected by the complaint from the Argentine Foreign Ministry. Image: CCAMLR

"Faced with this illegal situation, Argentina has been taking firm actions in defense of the multilateral regime and preserving the national position regarding the Malvinas Question," the Foreign Ministry added.

He argued that the country "recently reaffirmed its position at the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, the main Antarctic forum that met this year in Berlin."

Argentina also urged all CCAMLR Members to avoid marketing the product of said illegal fishing.

"In turn, the Executive Secretariat of Ccrvma was requested to include these British-flagged vessels on the list of vessels that engage in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, requiring the support of the other Members in said process" , It indicated.

Finally, “Argentina reiterates its rejection of the unilateral actions of the United Kingdom, insofar as they violate the Crvma regime and do not conform to the principles of Antarctic cooperation and good faith that characterize the Antarctic Treaty System. Likewise, Argentina requests the immediate cessation of this illegal fishing.”

Source: Télam (Official News Agency of the Argentine Republic)

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