January 3, 2014 — Starting this week, Chile is requiring “full traceability” and certification from foreign commercial fishing boats delivering seafood to its ports.
The latest amendment to the country’s Fisheries Act, which requires certification from auditing entities accredited by Sernapesca, is intended to verify landings data, according to Chile’s Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Subpesca).
"International markets are increasingly demanding regarding the quality of fishery products they buy. Increasing number of countries require certified products and with full traceability, allowing them to know the entire route of the product, from the area where it was harvested, until it reaches the shelves of its supermarkets, through landing sites, processing plants and transportation,” Chile’s National Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture Juan Luis Ansoleaga said in a statement.
In addition, Subpesca lowered 2014 quotas for sardines, anchovies, hake, and certain shrimp species. In southern Chile (regions V-X), anchovy quotas were drastically reduced from 120,000 metric tons (MT) in 2013 to 42,200 MT this year. In the same regions, the sardine quota was slashed from 605,000 MT in 2013 to 373,000 MT in 2014.
Read the full story at SeafoodSource.com