Analysis of the Southeast Pacific Distant Water Squid Fleet
Date of Publication
2021 12:00 AM
Security Theme
IUU Fishing
Keywords
IUU Fishing, IUU fishing, transshipment, bunkering, dark fleet, VIIRS image analysis, SAR image analysis, Latin American ports, squid
Description
The number of fishers that catch squid has increased in recent years, with fishing capacity in commercially important squid fisheries growing globally. The southeast Pacific is no exception. Between 1990 and 2018, the annual reported catch from the high seas has increased from ~5,000 to ~278,000 tons from three commission members; China, Chinese Taipei, and Republic of Korea (SC7-SQ01 Squid). The high seas distant water fleet has grown from a flag State reported 6 vessels in 1990 to 528 in 2019 (SC8 - SQ01_rev1_clean). The distribution of the jumbo flying squid ranges from southern Chile, up to north American waters, and extends out into the high seas, into an area that is jointly managed by Member States via the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO). Fisheries targeting the jumbo flying squid (Dosidicus gigas) are of clear socio-economic importance in Chile, Peru and Ecuador on a commercial and artisanal fisher scale, as well as to the international distance water fleet. During the 2020 Commission meeting, SPRFMO introduced its first Conservation and Management Measure (CMM) directly related to the management of the squid, however the fishery still lags behind fisheries targeting other species in the Pacific. For example, vessels are required to be authorized on the SPRFMO Vessel List, in order to fish within the SPRFMO area, however transshipment of squid (the at sea transfer of catch), unlike other targeted species in the Convention Area, do not require prior authorization from the flag States to confirm compliance with SPRFMO CMMs. The sustainability of the squid fishery, and the distribution of fishing effort is largely unknown. An understanding of the spatial distribution, composition and behavior of the squid fleet operating in this area should be studied in depth.
Analysis of the Southeast Pacific Distant Water Squid Fleet
The number of fishers that catch squid has increased in recent years, with fishing capacity in commercially important squid fisheries growing globally. The southeast Pacific is no exception. Between 1990 and 2018, the annual reported catch from the high seas has increased from ~5,000 to ~278,000 tons from three commission members; China, Chinese Taipei, and Republic of Korea (SC7-SQ01 Squid). The high seas distant water fleet has grown from a flag State reported 6 vessels in 1990 to 528 in 2019 (SC8 - SQ01_rev1_clean). The distribution of the jumbo flying squid ranges from southern Chile, up to north American waters, and extends out into the high seas, into an area that is jointly managed by Member States via the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO). Fisheries targeting the jumbo flying squid (Dosidicus gigas) are of clear socio-economic importance in Chile, Peru and Ecuador on a commercial and artisanal fisher scale, as well as to the international distance water fleet. During the 2020 Commission meeting, SPRFMO introduced its first Conservation and Management Measure (CMM) directly related to the management of the squid, however the fishery still lags behind fisheries targeting other species in the Pacific. For example, vessels are required to be authorized on the SPRFMO Vessel List, in order to fish within the SPRFMO area, however transshipment of squid (the at sea transfer of catch), unlike other targeted species in the Convention Area, do not require prior authorization from the flag States to confirm compliance with SPRFMO CMMs. The sustainability of the squid fishery, and the distribution of fishing effort is largely unknown. An understanding of the spatial distribution, composition and behavior of the squid fleet operating in this area should be studied in depth.
