Sernapesca begins official certification of fishing landings

The State of Chile is assuming control and supervision of the landings of resources caught by the industrial and artisanal fleet in the southern macro zone, a procedure that will be carried out throughout the country starting next January.

In Puerto Chacabuco, in the region of Aysén, the Minister of Economy and the National Director of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca), kicked off the implementation of the Law of Modernization and Strengthening of Sernapesca enacted at the beginning of the year.

"Today the law of modernization becomes reality with the first certification of landing of an industrial vessel, this is very important for the control of the fishing activity, and it is extermely healthy for the fishing sector of our country that creates jobs, generates enterprises, exports, and that improves the quality of life of the population," said Minister Juan Andrés Fontaine.

Photo: SERNAPESCA

A factory ship and another deep-sea fresh fish fishing vessel were the first ships to be certified by Sernapesca in Aysén. In addition, in Punta Arenas another factory ship and a crab landing were certified.

"As of today, the modernization law is implemented in the southern southern macro zone, which means that Sernapesca officials exercise the public role of executing landings certification, and therefore, citizens can trust that Sernapesca is the entity that it validates that the resource caught is effectively the authorized one and that the amount is correctly imputed from the assigned fishing quotas, that the vessels are authorized, etc. ", said the national director of the inspection body, Alicia Gallardo.

Certification is a process that began in 2014, outsourced to private companies. To assume this role, Sernapesca incorporated 72 new officials in the regions of Los Ríos, Los Lagos, Aysén and Magallanes, who will be responsible for being in each of the landings from the main fisheries.

Photo: SERNAPESCA

"For us it is a great tool to combat illegal fishing. The landing control allows us to be in situ, reviewing vessels and resources, thus avoiding under-reporting of fish, which causes so much damage to the conservation of the species and jeopardizes fisheries sustainability," Gallardo explained.

For his part, Honorino Angulo, Artisanal Fisherman of Aysén and regional leader of the fishing sector, applauded this milestone.

"We have always thought that the State should be the only fisheries regulator  in Chile, so we are glad that Sernapesca is responsible for the landing certification, and we sincerely hope that it will be granted greater powers in order to have a robust audit service. I know that this is not the general feeling of the fishing world, but we, the real fishermen, not the cardboard ones, are against predation and want more and better control," he said.

Photo: SERNAPESCA

Process

The shipowner or skipper of the ship, being in a fishing zone, must send a landing notice by the mobile traceability application of Sernapesca or, by line 800 320 032, indicating the port where he will make his landing and the species he brings on board. In this way, a certifier is activated to monitor the discharge, perform the identification of species, check the weighing of the landing in the systems enabled by Sernapesca, and then deliver the certification voucher, which will allow you to follow the entire production chain with legal origin.

Certification is a procedure that aims to ensure the accuracy of information on landings declared by shipowners and holders of fishing authorizations.

In October, the certification of the northern zone will begin, and from January 1, 2020 it will be extended to the central zone. All landings from industrial and transport vessels, artisanal boats of more than 12 meters in length and artisanal vessels inscribed in pelagic fisheries with purse seiners, regardless their length, must be certified.