The coastal and artisanal San Matías Gulf fisheries involves an important part of the Ríonegro´s coastal communities (San Antonio Oeste and Sierra Grande). This fisheries generates over than 1,000 direct job positions in these towns, and an annual provincial income of more than USD 20 millions in the lasts years.

The San Matías Gulf fishery has started more than 25 years ago and the exploitation has been growing constantly, speccially during the last decade. In the last 5 years, the total captures were between 10 and 13,8 thousend tons.

The major part of the resourses captures were demersal species: hake (Merluccius hubbsi), longtail hake (Macruronus magellanicus), flounder(Paralichthys spp. & Xistreuris rasile), elephant fish (Callorhinchus callorhynchus), pink cuskeel (Genypterus blacodes), squid (Illex argentinus), south atlanctic bream (Seriolella porosa), butterfish (Parona sygnata) and several species of sharks, like angular angel shark (Squatina argentina), patagonian smooth hound (Mustelus spp.) and tope shark (Galeorhynus galeus)