Workshop on Management Areas is organized y IFOP and The Nature Conservancy
August 29th, 2019
In Valparaíso, consultants, experts and authorities linked to fisheries administration regime of the Benthic Resources Management and Exploitation Areas (AMERB) met to discuss direct assessment standard methodologies for brown algae, hard bottomed and soft bottoms invertebrates .
The activity was organized by IFOP Fisheries Development Institute within the framework of the Fisheries Monitoring Program under the Management Area Regime, in the research line on quality information management generated in Management and Exploitation of Benthics Resources Areas (AMERB), which seeks to provide background information to assess Fisheries Administration Regime comprehensive performance. With the important support of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in organizing the event, consultants were invited to carry out studies in Management Areas, also professionals from IFOP, SUBPESCA, National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service, and experts related to the TNC, among which was Dr. Ana Parma and a delegation of researchers from Peru Institute of the Sea (IMARPE), related to benthic fisheries studies.
Luis Ariz, Management Areas Section Head, explained that: “Almost 20 years after AMERB regime implementation, there are still problems with data quality generated in management areas studies, this has been due to the lack of protocols for samples under standard procedures execution. The activity is part of IFOP’s work , at Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture request, and refers to drafting of documents on Management Areas Direct Evaluation Procedures, such that spatial and temporal comparison of generated information in AMERB studies carried out by the consulting companies in charge. The quality of the information is a relevant issue in the efficient management of fisheries, so that the collaborative efforts that emerge from the active participation in the workshop are important for the improvement of the Management Areas regime ”.
For her side, Gabriela Arenas IFOP Management Areas Section researcher, who is in charge of the information work line on quality management at AMERB, said: “The workshop has been framed within the process developed to the definition of direct evaluation procedure in AMERB, resulting in an important instance in which relevant AMERB regime representatives have presented their observations, requirements and experiences in sampling execution , revealing critical aspects in terms of operability and management. The activity carried out with an important call was an instance in which different technical and operational aspects regarding sampling procedures were discussed, resulting in important recommendations which will be considered for improvement ”.