From legal frameworks to practice: challenges for implementing the SSF Guidelines in Argentina

CINTI A.; GÓNGORA M.E.; SÁNCHEZ-CARNERO N.; VENERUS L.; PIÑEIRO M.; ANTÓN G.; VARISCO M.

Implementation of the Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines: A Legal and Policy Scan

Springer Cham

Año: 2023;

Argentina’sfish and shellfish resources support several high-volume, export-orientedindustrial fisheries with annual landings close to 800,000 tons. Compared tothe industrial sector, which expanded greatly over the last 40 years, artisanalmarine fisheries have remained insignificant in terms of catch volume andvalue, receiving little attention from governments despite their localimportance. Argentina is a federal country with five coastal provinces, whichhave jurisdiction over the marine resources within 12 nautical miles from theshore and within gulfs. Since each province manages artisanal fisheries withinits territorial waters, the importance assigned to them, the legal frameworksavailable, and their degree of application vary greatly among provinces. In afew cases, municipal governments have also been involved in generating policiesfor the sector, adding to the complex multilevel governance context ofsmall-scale fisheries. This chapter reviews the main national and provinciallaws and policies relevant to marine artisanal fisheries, as wellas a number of cases that were litigated in court, to evaluate the extent ofadherence to the principles of the SSF Guidelines in the law and in practice. Wecomplement this review with an analysis of fishers' knowledge about the legalinstruments in use, and the perceptions of key actors involved in judicializedcases from Buenos Aires and Chubut – two provinces with a long history of artisanalfisheries. These cases illustrate the main limitations and challenges faced bythe artisanal sector, revealing how far the country is from implementing the SSFGuidelines.