Lithuanian vessels fishing in the South Pacific ocean will be able to catch more horse mackerel this year.
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Taking into account the latest conclusions of scientists about the good state of Peruvian horse mackerel stocks, the fishing opportunities for these fish have been increased by 11%. Thus, the vessels of Lithuania will be able to catch 10, 632 tons of horse mackerel this year.
The Regional Management Organisation for Southern Pacific Fisheries (SPRFMO) has adopted a long-term allocation key (allocation key) for Peruvian horse mackerel, with a european Union (EU) share of 10.2032% by 5.
The new three fishing participants , Panama, Belize and cook islands, have been allocated a minimum quantity of 63 1 t or 100.0% of the total.
Reaching a long-term agreement was a priority for the EU negotiations, as this agreement will contribute to the stable and sustainable management of fish stocks, allow interested parties to plan their fisheries consistently, protect against sudden changes, and limit the number of participants in fishing.
At the same time, the EU has started the accreditation process for observer researchers from SPRFMO and expects EU scientists to be accredited to carry out observations in SPRFMO waters by the 2024 sprfmo annual session.
This is a new requirement of SPRFMO, which has raised a number of questions and concerns for states fishing in the convention area of this organization.
Failure to comply with this requirement within the time limit shall deprive vessels of the right to fish. By consensus, the accreditation deadline has been extended to 2025.
The waters of the SPRFMO Convention are an important fishing area for the Lithuanian fishing fleet.
In 2022, Lithuania was allocated 9,620,980 t of Peruvian horse mackerel fishing opportunities in the South Pacific, as well as additional fishing opportunities after exchanges with other EU Member States.
In 2022, 32 498,622 t of various species of fish were caught in the SPRFMO fishing area, of which horse mackerel accounted for the largest share of fishing catches. ■
Under an intense surge of arctic air, Friday morning will begin with the coldest temperatures so far this season across much of the central and eastern U.S. with blustery conditions and a piercing wind chill.