ALLOCATION POLICIES AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR RECREATIONAL FISHERIES MANAGEMENT IN INLAND
WATERS OF ARGENTINA
Pablo H. Vigliano1, José Bechara2, Rolando Quiros3
1Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Quintral 1250, (8400) Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina.2 Instituto de Ictiología del Nordeste, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, UNNE, S. Cabral 2139, (3400) Corrientes, Argentina.3Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av San Martin 4453, (1417) Buenos Aires, Argentina.
dominate the scene of Argentina recreational fishing, been each unique in terms of environmental context, fish fauna and fishery types.
Central, Westernand Northwesternregions
The Northeast, region
Patagonia and Tierra del Fuegoregions
Fishery typeFishery type Resource Resource characteristic characteristic
sought forsought for
Main target spMain target sp Fishers Fishers sociosocio--
economic economic levellevel
ArgentinianArgentinian regionregion Regional Regional human human densitydensity
World classWorld class--Fishing lodgesFishing lodges
Trophy size Trophy size high numbershigh numbers
SalmonidsSalmonidsSalminusSalminus
Very high Very high inter / inter /
nationalnational
Tierra del Tierra del FuegoFuego/Patagonia /Patagonia IberIberáá
swampsswamps
Very lowVery low
Recreational 1Recreational 1--Fishing lodgesFishing lodges
Large sizeLarge size SalmonidsSalmonidsSalminusSalminus
PseudoplatistomaPseudoplatistomaPiaractusPiaractusBryconBrycon
High High nationalsnationals
Northern PatagoniaNorthern PatagoniaNE ArgentinaNE Argentina--
ParanParanáá Paraguay Paraguay ConfluenceConfluence-- IberaIbera
swampsswamps
LowLow
Recreational 2Recreational 2 Size and Size and numbers of numbers of fish caughtfish caught
SalmonidsSalmonidsOdontesthesOdontesthes
hatcherihatcheriO. O. bonariensisbonariensis
SalminusSalminusPseudoplatistomaPseudoplatistoma
PiaractusPiaractus
Upper Upper middle middle class class ––middle middle classclass
Northern PatagoniaNorthern PatagoniaPampaPampa plainsplains
Upper & middle Upper & middle ParanParanáá riverriver
MiddleMiddle
Recreational 3Recreational 3 Numbers of Numbers of fish caughtfish caught
SalminusSalminusPseudoplatistomaPseudoplatistoma
OdontesthesOdontesthesbonariensisbonariensis
Middles Middles classclass--lower lower middle middle classclass
LowerLower--Middle Middle ParanaParana RiverRiverParanParanáá delta delta PampaPampa plainsplainsNorthwestern Northwestern
reservoirs, reservoirs, YaciretaYaciretadamdam
Middle Middle --HighHigh
Recreational 4 Recreational 4 --bannedbanned
Numbers of Numbers of fish caughtfish caught
CyprinusCyprinus carpiocarpioSmall Small riverineriverine fishfish
Low Low middle middle class & class &
poorpoor
RRííoo de La Plata de La Plata riverriver
HighHigh
The Northeast
1. Pilcomayo river, 2. Paraguay river, 3. Upper Paraná river, 4. Yacyreta dam, 5. Middle Paraná river, 6. Lower Paranáriver and delta, 7. Uruguay river, 8. Iguazú river, 9. Iguazú falls, 10. Corrientes river, 11. Río de la Plata river.
OrderCharaciforms
Siluriforms
PerciformsAtheriniforms
Scientific NameSalminus brasiliensisPiaractus mesopotamicus
Brycon orbignyanus
Hoplias malabaricusLeporinus obtusidens
Pseudoplatystoma corruscansPseudoplatystoma fasciatumPaulicea luetkeniZungaro zungaroLuciopimelodus pati
Habitspotamodromous, top predatorpotamodromous,omnivorous /frugivorouspotamodromous, omnivorous / frugivorousnon migrant, lake dweller, top predatorpotamodromous, omnivorous
potamodromous, top predatorpotamodromous, top predatorpotamodromous, top predatorpotamodromous, top predatorpotamodromous, top predatorpotamodromous, top predatorpotamodromous, top predatorpotamodromous, top predatornon migrant, benthic feederpotamodromous, omnivorouspotamodromous, benthic feeder
non migrant, top predatornon migrant, lake dweller,/planktonic and benthic feeder
Upper Paraná River
boga
Dorado
Surubí
Dorado fishing at Iberá Marshes and related wetlands
Middle Paraná River
Surubí
Pacú
Dorado
Live BaitLive Bait
Tararira
Hoplos
Knife fish
Swamp eel
Conflicts with artisanal fisheries at Paraná-Paraguay confluence.
Large Reservoir Fisheries
Yacyreta
Itaipú
Salto Grande
Armored catfish
Piranhas
Small catfishes
FishingFishingTournamentsTournaments
Locations of some famous fishing tournaments
Dorado fishing
•Most rivers share provincial and international jurisdictions creating problems and conflicts
To solve problems:
• Joint commission (Paraguay and 4 limiting provinces), establish a Common Fishing code
•Relies on consultations with Advisory Committee con formed by: Scientist, technicians, Commercial & Fishing organizations, outfitters, lodge owners, coast guard
Fishing Code
•Harvestable target species in common waters
•Species specific daily catch quotas per fisher
•Fish size limit regulations
•Types of gear & banned fishing practices
•Season closure periods
•Reserves and protected areas
BACKGROUND AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE NORTHEASTERN REGION
OBJECTIVES AND GAPS
Meanwhile the fishing code is achieved by consensus taking into account previous management schemes:
• No major revisions of objectives and regulation usefulness have been undertaken
•Real managers in most provinces are lacking and those that exist lack the necessary funding for major management plans
•Very little is known about the processes that should direct sound management•No catch quota for fishing types allowed exist
•The numbers of licenses sold in not limited
•The only limitation to over fishing is fish minimum size
•There are no allocations between fisher groups
•In some cases fishing type (commercial –recreational) is area allocated
•Allocation schemes do not respond to an integral management perspective generating conflicts between and within fisher groups
Hydrology of the Central, Western and Northwestern regions:
1. Río De La Plata, 2. Paraná river, 3. Salado river (Buenos Aires province), 4. San Borombon river, 5. Canal 5 river, 6. Mar Chiquita, 7. Colorado River, 8. Salado river (La Pampa province), 9. La amarga lake, 10. Atuel river, 11. Diamante river, 12. Tunuyan river, 13. San Juan river, 14. Jachal river, 15. Quinto river, 16. Cuarto river, 17, Tercero river, 18. Segundo river, 19. Primero river, 20. Mar Chiquita lake, 21. Dulce river, 22 Salado river.
Order
Characiforms
Atheriniforms
Cypriniforms
Scientific Name
Hoplias malabaricus
Odontesthes bonariensis
Cyprinus carpio
Habits
non migrant, lake & streams andirrigation channel dweller, top predatorpotamodromous, omnivorous
non migrant, lake dweller,/planktonic and benthic feeder
Freshwater / omnivorous
Central Pampa plains
•Responsibility for regulating fisheries rest in provincial governments•Socioeconomic and biological information for management is scattered trough provincial jurisdictions•Valuable data such as total catch and effort are not sought for or reported
•Regulations are issued in response to declining fisheries
•Regulations rely closed seasons, bag limits and size slots fluctuating widely across jurisdictions•Regulations are in general interspersed with ambiguity and contradictions been usually ineffective•Fishery control and enforcement is week
•Public participation in the decision process is practically null
GENERAL BACKGROUND AND LEGAL FRAME WORK IN THE CENTRAL, WESTERN AND NORTHWESTERN REGIONS
OBJECTIVES AND GAPS
•Objectives for the extensive fisheries of O. bonariensis are not clearly set
•Fishery Science is at present dispersed in a few Universities poorly financed
•Sound Management is usually implemented at local levels, lacking in many occasions continuity through out time
•Most allocation actions are set in accordance to perceived decline of particular fishery but not on actual studies
Hydrology ofPatagonia and Tierra
del Fuego regions.
Atlantic drainages: 1.Colorado river, 2. Negro river,3. Neuquén river, 4. Limay river, 5. Chubutriver, 6 Chico river(Chubut province), 7. Senguerr river, Deseado river, 9.Chico river (Santa Cruz province), 10. Santa Cruz river, 11. Coig river, 12. Gallegos river, 13. Grande river, 14. Ewanriver, Pacific draining: 15. Lacar lake, 16. Manso river, 17 Puelo lake, 18. Futaleufu river, 19. Corcovado river, 20 Pico. lake, 21. Pueyrredon lake, 22. San Martín lake, 23. Fagnano lake, Endorheicbasin 24. Senguerr river.
(Falkland)
Order 1Salmoniforms
Atheriniforms
Perciforms
Cypriniforms
Pleuronectiforms
Scientific Name 1
Oncorhynchus mykiss
Salmo trutta
Salmo salarO. tshawytschaSalvelinus fontinalisS. namaycush
Odontesthes hatcheriO. bonaeriensis
Percichthys altispinisP. colhuapensisP. truchaP. vinciguerraeEleginops maclovinusMugil liza
Cyprinus carpio
Paralichthys sp.
Habits
Freshwater and anadromous / top predator (fish and macrozoobenthos)Freshwater and anadromous / top predator (fish and macrozoobenthos)landlocked / top predator (fish)Anadromous / top predatorFreshwater / top predatorFreshwater / top predator
Freshwater / benthic and planktonic feederFreshwater / benthic and planktonic feeder
Freshwater / fish and macrozoobenthosFreshwater / fish and macrozoobenthosFreshwater / fish and macrozoobenthosFreshwater / fish and macrozoobenthosmarine – brackish water/marine brackish water/
Freshwater / omnivorous
Marine- brackish water / top predator
Rainbow trout
Brook trout
Brown trout
Brown trouts
Rainbow trout
Silverside
Catfish
Perch
Silverside
Oncorhynchustshawytscha Atlanticrun
Salmo salar landlocked
Oncorhynchustshawytscha Pacific run
Salmo salar Pacific run
Steelhead trout
Sea run brown trout
GENERAL BACKGROUND AND LEGAL FRAME WORK FOR PATAGONIA AND TIERRA DEL FUEGO
COMMON FISHING CODE
trough consultations with:
Consultive Commission on Patagonia Continental Fishing
Provincial Governments & National park Administration
•Etc.
•Technicians•Fishing organizations
•Outfitters, Lodge owners and Administrators•Fishing guides
•Fishing associations
OBJECTIVES AND GAPS
Management does not respond to an integral perspective
•Usually corresponding to “de facto” policies
•Allocations rely mainly on particular perceptions of specific sectors and interest groups usually involving:
catch quotas, size and bag limitsclose seasons
there are no differential allocations policies between recreational fisher groups
fishing licenses have differential values according to fishing modes (fly fishing, casting, trolling)
allocation trough designation of particular habitats for specific fishing modes
THIS HAS GENERATED CONFLICTS SUCH AS :
•Private lodges (restricted access and strictly catch and release policies) vs unlimited public accesses•Catch and release polices for all rivers fostered by fly fishingorganizations vs catch quotas fostered by other fishing groups•Release of all native fish species fostered by National Parks and conservation NGO’s vs official agencies that foster their catch
INCREASING DEMANDS FOR SOUND MANAGEMENT ARE MET WITH:
•Few trained fishery scientist and managers•Insufficient funding and infrastructure
•Myths about how to manage inland fish resources
•Political decisions
•Lack of fishery oriented studies
FINAL REMARKS
A WIDE BODY OF LAWS AND REGULATIONS EXIST TROUGHOUT ARGENTINA
•THIS GENERALLY LEADS TO
•NO CONTINUITY ON IMPLEMENTED MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
HOWEVER:
•There seems to exist a mismatch between the purpose of the law and actual management
•Stemming from lack of awareness about the importance of the resource, its fragility and the complexities inherent to managing fish resources
•FISHING CODES AND ALLOCATION POLICIES BASED ON PERCEPTIONS OR AGENDAS OF PARTICULAR INTEREST GROUPS
•SCARCE MANAGEMENT ORIENTED RESEARCH
PRIORITY GAPS TO BE FULLFILLED
TO CREATE AWARENESS ON ALL SOCIETY LEVELS ABOUT RESOURCE FRAGILITY AND THE NEED FOR MANAGEMENT ORIENTED RESEARCH
TO DEVELOP LOCAL AND REGIONAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS THAT COULD GENERATE BIOLOGICAL,
ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN FACTOR INFORMATION THAT MAY LEAD TO SOUND
MANAGEMENT DECISIONS
TO INTEGRATE AL STAKEHOLDERS OF PARTICULAR FISHERIES INTO THE
DECISION PROCESS
THANK YOU
Nahuel Huapi Lake