More than 20 major buyers of jumbo flying squid in the United States and Europe have made an urgent call for Peru to formalize its artisanal fleet by January 2021 or risk having the fishery classified as illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU).
In a letter submitted to the Peruvian Council of Ministers, all members of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) Global Squid Supply Chain Roundtable said the move would bring Peru’s fisheries under compliance with commitments by the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO), while also advancing sustainability, to the direct benefit of thousands of Peruvian families that make a living on harvesting jumbo flying squid.
The first-ever Conservation and Management Measure (CMM) for jumbo flying squid in international waters was issued during the eighth annual SPRFMO meeting, which took place in the Republic of Vanuatu in February 2020.
“We consider this CMM… an important first step toward addressing some of the key science and management deficiencies in the fishery,” the signees said in the letter. “However, we are concerned by some challenges the full implementation of this CMM will pose to the Peruvian fishing sector when it goes into effect in January 2021.”
Those challenges include legalizing the artisanal squid fleet for registry, putting them in the record of vessels fishing in international waters that are monitored by the SPRFMO. The CMM would also apply to the distant-water fleets that fish in the area, which have come under scrutiny in recent years for improper fishing practices.
“Legalization of the artisanal fleet is the mandatory first step toward complying with other guidelines of the CMM, including preparation of catch reports per vessel, design of a biological monitoring system for research purposes, increased observer coverage, and installation of satellite equipment for vessel monitoring systems,” the letter to the Peruvian Council of Ministers noted.
Peru is the world’s leading producer of jumbo flying squid and is responsible for 49 percent of world capture between 2013 and 2017, or a total of 900,000 metric tons per year, according to the SFP. Based on catch volume, employment levels, and fishery exports, the jumbo flying squid fishery is the largest artisanal fishery in Peru. Revenues from exports of frozen jumbo flying squid reached USD 849 million (EUR 718 million) in 2019, and an estimated 31,200 people work in harvesting jumbo flying squid, with another 12,000 people working in processing frozen products related to the fishery.
The companies that signed the letter include Altamar Foods Corporation, Aqua Star Smart Seafood, Beaver Street Fisheries Inc., Congalsa, Export Packers, Fesba Seafood Products, Fisherman’s Pride, Fortune Fish & Gourmet, Giant Eagle, GlobalPez, Grupo Nueva Pescanova, Hilton Seafood UK, Lund’s Fisheries, PanaPesca, Quirch Foods, Santa Monica Seafood, Seafresh Group, Seattle Fish Co. & Gourmet Provisions, Sysco France, and True World Foods.
The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership is an NGO that was founded in 2006 with the objective of rebuilding depleted fish stocks and reducing the environmental and social impacts of fishing and fish farming. Its work includes engaging fishery stakeholders and seafood businesses in every part of the supply chain.
Photo courtesy of Milton Rodriguez/Shutterstock
