The initiative is being funded by the government via the Fisheries Research Fund (FIP) and comes after a recent report which showed that some of Chile's fish stocks were over-exploited or in a state of collapse.
The director of Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Biobío Region, Lilian Troncoso, stated: "There is a major effort from the economic standpoint and scientific infrastructure aimed at studying the sardine and anchovy in this area of ??the country and so to have the best information for decision-making."
Among the projects, there will be a hydroacoustic assessment of anchovy and sardine stocks and identification of conservation areas for anchovy and sardine.
Ms Troncoso stated that the sardine fishery has seen a significant decrease in biomass and the catching of under-sized fish. This work will therefore help define management measures and biological closures to protect the sustainability of the fishery.
The scientific information developed in the country is key to the management of fisheries resources and are part of the inputs for determining catch quotas, biological fixation and extraction closures, among other regulatory requirements.
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