December 11, 2014 — The environmental group Oceana will request the Chilean government to reduce the annual hake quota set for 2015, which was increased by 21 per cent compared to that in 2014, from 19,000 to 23,000 tonnes.
The NGO explains that it aims to prevent the fishery collapse, since the latest available data indicate that the resource biomass fell more than 6 per cent.
According to Oceana executive director, Alex Muñoz, "there is no scientific background to support an increase in the hake quota".
"By contrast, the resource is getting worse and consequently, the quota should be reduced," he stressed.
Muñoz said they are calling the government "not to deviate from the central objective of recovering fishery resources and of offering assistance to fishermen through social policies and by not promoting overfishing irresponsibly."
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