Cómo piensan los empresarios y trabajadores del mar argentino sobre la captura incidental y el descarte pesquero?

[Introduction]: Bycatch and discards are a socio-environmental concern that threatens the sustainability of marine life and fishing grounds. Approaches to this problem have focused on biological and/or ecological aspects. We considered it necessary to explore the problem from the social dimension and for this purpose we explored social representations. [Objective]: The aim of this study is to explore the social representations of bycatch and discards in a group of businessmen and workers in the capture stage of the Argentine industrial fishing activity. We ask how they evaluate bycatch and fishing discards, what are their causes and if they observe possible solutions. [Methodology]: Within the framework of a project of the Federal Fishing Council, we conducted focus groups with businessmen, business chambers, SOMU workers and captains of the industrial fishing activity. [Results]: The results of the focus groups conducted in 2021 reveal three main causes of this problem. First, the lack of reliable data on actual discard levels raises concerns about sustainability and overfishing. Second, the low utilization of selectivity devices is attributed to their operational inefficiency and possible labour barriers. Finally, economic and organizational pressures, such as company profitability and workers' salaries, justify the discard of non-target species, exacerbating the problem. [Conclusions]: The work contributes to an understanding of the main reasons for bycatch and discards, which is essential to advance solutions. We understand that solutions are not simple and involve a sincere debate among stakeholders. [Introducción]: Las capturas incidentales y los descartes pesqueros son una preocupación socioambiental que amenaza la sostenibilidad de la vida marina y de los caladeros. Los abordajes a esta problemática estuvieron centrados en aspectos biológicos y ecológicos. Consideramos necesario explorar la problemática desde la dimensión social y para ello, exploramos las representaciones sociales. [Objetivo]: El objetivo de este estudio es explorar las representaciones sobre capturas incidentales y descartes pesqueros en un grupo de empresarios y trabajadores de la etapa de captura de la actividad pesquera industrial argentina, específicamente, cómo evalúan este problema, sus causas y posibles soluciones. [Metodología]: En el marco de un proyecto del Consejo Federal Pesquero, se realizaron grupos focales con seis cámaras empresariales y personal jerárquico de em