Reproductive ban on hake extended until November 30

The Undersecretariat of Fisheries Resources extended the biological reproductive closure of the hake resource (Merluccius gayi) until November 30, 2026, meaning the fishery has accumulated 77 continuous days of closure since September 15. The decision is detailed in Agreement No. MDEP-SRP-2026-0017-A, signed on October 30 in Manta by Undersecretary Juliana Monserrate García Cuenca and published in the Official Registry, Second Supplement No. 408, on Thursday, November 12, 2026 (p. 2).

The instrument modifies Ministerial Agreement No. MDEP-SRP-2026-0007-A of September 10, 2026, which had set the closure between September 15 and October 31, 2026, during the stage of maximum spawning intensity. It also extends the validity of Agreement No. MDEP-SRP-2026-0011-A of September 29, 2026, which authorized the Prospective Research Plan for hake as an alternative method for collecting biological and fisheries information aboard authorized vessels. Both instruments were issued by the same Undersecretariat, using the delegation conferred through Ministerial Agreement No. 110 of September 24, 2025.

What the published agreement provides

The articles of MDEP-SRP-2026-0017-A are limited to extending deadlines and maintaining the rest of the current regime:

• Article 1: extends the reproductive closure of hake until November 30, 2026, based on technical-biological criteria and under a precautionary approach.
• Article 2: extends the application period of the Prospective Research Plan for hake until the same date.
• Articles 3 and 4: maintain the validity of the other provisions of agreements MDEP-SRP-2026-0007-A and MDEP-SRP-2026-0011-A, insofar as they do not conflict with the new text.
• Vessels that violate the management measures will be transferred to an authorized port and subject to the administrative actions provided for in the Organic Law for the Development of Aquaculture and Fisheries (LODAP).

The technical basis: the IPIAP official letter

The extension is based on Official Letter No. IPIAP-IPIAP-2026-0364-OF of October 28, 2026, through which the Public Institute for Aquaculture and Fisheries Research (IPIAP) submitted the executive report “Preliminary results of the monitoring of the reproductive condition of hake (Merluccius gayi) during the 2026 closure.”

That report recommended extending the closure and keeping the prospecting plan active to “guarantee the continuity of biological monitoring and evaluate the evolution of the reproductive process.” The administrative chain was completed with memorandum No. MDEP-DPPA-2026-0149-M of October 29, 2026, from the Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture Policies, and with the legal report from the Directorate of Institutional Advisory for Aquaculture and Fisheries, memorandum No. MDEP-DAINAP-2026-0314-M of October 30, 2026.

Prohibitions that remain in effect and control

As a result of the extension, the prohibition on the capture and extraction of hake—both artisanal and industrial—as well as its transport, processing, and commercialization, is maintained, in accordance with Article 4 of the original agreement. Article 5 of said regulation further prevents multipurpose hake-shallow shrimp vessels from carrying nets for the capture of hake on board, in line with Agreement No. MPCEIP-SRP-2024-0227-A of August 8, 2024.

The only exception remains the processing, transport, and internal and external commercialization of the resource captured and retained before the start of the closed season, subject to stock verification by the Fisheries Control Directorate.

The execution of the agreement is entrusted to the IPIAP, the Fisheries Control Directorate, the Directorate of Artisanal Fisheries, and the Directorate of Industrial Fisheries of the Undersecretariat of Fisheries Resources, with the support of the National Directorate of Aquatic Spaces (DIRNEA). The text is effective from its signing, regardless of its publication, and its notification is ordered in accordance with Articles 101 and 164 of the Organic Administrative Code.

Impact on the sector

The extension adds 30 days to the original calendar and leaves artisanal and industrial hake fishers without work for two and a half months, in the middle of the commercialization season. For readers, the key is that the closure no longer ends on October 31: any capture, transport, or sale of Merluccius gayi until November 30 is subject to administrative control, except for previously retained and verified products.

Source: Official Registry, Second Supplement No. 408, November 12, 2026, p. 2 (official reference: Agreement No. MDEP-SRP-2026-0017-A).