Ocean Research experts oceans emphasize the importance of having a new research vessel
July 26th, 2018
The construction of a modern vessel, which would replace Abate Molina, will boost marine science and oceanography development.
On Wednesday, July 18th, and in record time, Senate plenary session supported the bill by means of which the President of the Republic is requested to provide necessary resources for the construction of a fishing and oceanographic research vessel.
In this regard Luis Parot, (IFOP) Fisheries Development Institute Executive Director, said “there is a need to strengthen Chilean institutional and research capacities with the acquisition of modern vessels that meet necessary standards to develop a task according to international standards. We hope that in the short term Chile will be able to have medium-sized vessels that allow both coastal operations and ocean research. ”
He added, “we must raise awareness of the need to change a ship that has a glorious history as Abate Molina, who has spent 28 years touring chilean coastal waters – more than 5,000 days of sailing and more than 248 cruises – and nowadays it requires to be replaced by a boat that has technologies, capabilities, and features according to current needs. Abate is a boat that has filled Chile with pride and is a national icon recognized by all the world that deserves to retire ”
Samuel Hormazábal, Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso Marine Sciences Director, indicated that, “undoubtedly the country needs to deepen investigation of its seas and oceans, in terms of its scientific knowledge associated with the use of natural resources that provides. ”
In addition, he stressed that oceanic research is of great importance to be able to manage fishing resources, and have an appropriate use of them. “When we analyze existing scientific research platforms, these are quite scarce, therefore, having a new research vessel is relevant for the development of marine sciences and for oceanography in the country, as it goes to allow facing new challenges that are emerging as a result of the planet transformations, such as weather change “.
Liesbeth Van Der Meer, Oceana Chile Executive Director, considers essential that the country has a first class scientific research vessel, which will allows us to gather accurate information about our ocean and its resources status, and thus it will lead to make better decisions in fisheries policy. .
“Efforts made by the authorities to provide the country with necessary elements to perform good science are valuable, so we hope that the renewal of research platforms will be realized, and thus continue to promote policies that help us preserve resources for future generations”.
Natalio Godoy, marine scientist at The Nature Conservancy-Chile complemented “For us who work in marine conservation and the sustainability of fisheries, it seems very good news. This is another important step to improve our capacity, as a country, to evaluate and estimate the population status of marine natural resources and the fisheries associated with these resources. We hope that the implementation of the new vessel will materialize in the short term and facilitate the good work carried out by the IFOP and the public institutions in charge of managing the fishing resources in Chile “.