Fishing: Shrimp Catch in Argentina Faces One of Its Worst Crises

A severe crisis in the Argentine shrimp fishing industry, described as the worst in its history, has left 113 freezer vessels inactive, 5,000 workers unemployed, and caused export losses exceeding $200 million. The conflict stems from a dispute between fishing companies and unions (SOMU and Simape) over the adjustment of the Collective Labor Agreement, which links workers' production bonuses to the 2005 shrimp price of $12 per kilo. Companies seek to reduce this price to the current market price of $5.5 per kilo, due to the fall in international shrimp prices, which makes the agreement unsustainable. A partial agreement was reached with fishing captains, but the unions representing sailors remain inflexible and reject the adjustments. This has caused economic damage in ports like Mar del Plata and Puerto Madryn, where workers receive only a basic salary of AR$500,000 (US$420) monthly, instead of the AR$10 million (US$8,300) with bonuses that could be achieved in ongoing labor ...