The creation of a Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMO) in the South Atlantic is a traditional desire of the economic-political elite of the Malvinas Islands.
Fishing is the resource that allows the islands to be largely self-sufficient and have one of the highest GDPs on the planet per inhabitant.
This type of mechanism would allow them to overcome an obstacle that the persistence of the sovereignty dispute generates in the illegal British exploitation of marine resources in the region.
The RFMOs were designed with the intention of preventing indiscriminate fishing on the high seas and in particular of straddling and highly migratory fish populations.
They are constituted in particular by the coastal States.
Its members are those who participate in the decision-making mechanism regarding the region's fish resources.
In certain circumstances, States whose vessels have a significant presence in the region are also part of RFMOs.
The so-called “illegal, unreported and unregulated” (IUU) fishing is a scourge in all the fishing grounds of the world and the South Atlantic is no exception.
To define a policy in this regard, the national interest must be taken as a guide.
The issue is linked to the development of our fishing industry and the protection of our resources in the South Atlantic.
But also to the existence of the sovereignty dispute over the Malvinas, Georgias and South Sandwich.
Argentine fishing policy must be aimed not only at combating unregulated fishing at mile 201, but also at efficiently exploiting the resources of our Exclusive Economic Zone.
The creation of an RFMO in the South Atlantic with British participation would allow the occupier of the Malvinas, Georgias and South Sandwich Islands to whitewash their illegal exploitation of the resources that belong to the Argentine people and even give them the possibility of participating in decisions about the resources in areas that are not in dispute.
This would be achieved if Argentina accepts the creation of an RFMO under the “umbrella of sovereignty”, which is the permanent British strategy to advance the facts and consolidate its presence, while the United Kingdom turns a deaf ear to its obligation to resolve the controversy. of sovereignty.
As long as the controversy is not resolved, the United Kingdom will continue to factually control the situation, exploiting natural resources and seeking, as it has always done, for Argentina to adapt to this situation, although it formally maintains its claim.
On the other hand, the creation of an RFMO in the South Atlantic is not the only form of “conservation and management of fishing resources.”
The possibility of bilateral arrangements within the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or regional arrangements within the framework of the meetings of the Zone of Peace and Cooperation in the South Atlantic, composed of South American coastal States and Africans.
Fishing today and hydrocarbon resources tomorrow are the most important resources of the islands.
Any British proposal to create a South Atlantic RFMO while refusing to reopen negotiations on sovereignty is unacceptable.
This is one of the few practical tools that Argentina has to force the United Kingdom to resolve the controversy.
Giving it away without placing the United Kingdom in the aforementioned dilemma would be unforgivable.