Impunity and fishing predation in Patagonian waters was exposed following the complaint by the crew members of the fishing vessel Nddanddu, who revealed they were forced to discard tons of fish to comply with a company directive that required filling the hold exclusively with squid. The result was severe environmental damage: more than 3,000 boxes of hake were thrown into the sea to collect just 80 boxes of squid.
The first fisherman, José Rodríguez, described the situation as a “commercial slaughter” and recounted how the crew spent entire days returning thousands of lifeless specimens to the ocean.
The trawling method and its consequences
The coordinator in Chubut of the Foundation Sin Azul No Hay Verde, Juan Coustet, warned that what happened is not an isolated incident, but the rawest expression of the bottom trawling method, which normalizes discarding and predation. He pointed out that it is ecological damage generated by business decisions that prioritize immediate profitability over the sustainability of the Argentine Sea.
Furthermore, it was confirmed that the trawl net used had an internal fine-mesh “sock”, a prohibited device that blocks the exit of juvenile fish. This practice violates the regulations of the Federal Fisheries Council and the INIDEP, which require the use of selectivity systems such as DEJUPA or Flexigrid grids, designed to allow juvenile hake to escape and continue their development cycle.
Risk of ecological collapse
Indiscriminate discarding and the capture of juveniles compromise the recovery of species and put the balance of the South Atlantic at risk. According to Coustet, if the State does not ensure effective controls on the high seas, these maneuvers will continue to occur with absolute impunity.
The operation was also marked by logistical deficiencies: the vessel lost the ability to generate ice, putting the scarce retained catch at risk. Despite this, the authorities on board continued with the hauls under company pressure. Faced with the situation, the workers stood their ground and demanded to return to port, backed by videos documenting the discarding.
The cost of an extractive model
The case of the Nddanddu reflects an extractive model that prioritizes immediate economic performance over marine conservation. Fishing juveniles under these furtive modalities constitutes irreparable damage to the ecosystem and annihilates the future biomass of the fishing ground.
The courage of the crew in denouncing the illicit act reopens the debate on the urgency of implementing concrete measures:
- Immediate audits on the vessels.
- Transparent satellite monitoring.
- Strict application of current resolutions.
Fishing predation in Patagonia exposes the weaknesses of a system without effective oversight. The massive discarding of hake and the use of illegal nets not only destroy natural resources but also compromise food security and the sustainability of the Argentine Sea. The complaint by the Nddanddu crew is an urgent call to strengthen controls and ensure that fishing is conducted under criteria of environmental and social responsibility.
