Between January 29 and February 2, delegations from the member countries of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO) gathered in the city of Manta, Ecuador with the purpose of discussing proposals aimed at improving the sustainability and performance of giant squid fisheries in international waters.

 

 

Delegations from various countries, prior to said meeting, presented a series of proposals to the SPRFMO secretariat to be discussed during the sessions. These proposals focused on improving inclusiveness and effectiveness in decision-making, promoting proper management of giant squid, and strengthening port surveillance to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

 

However, decisions made during the SPRFMO meeting left a bitter taste, reflecting a decline in accountability and inclusion. For example, prior to its discussion, unexpected resistance emerged from the Chinese delegation towards a proposal that sought to facilitate the gradual implementation of the use of Spanish in Commission meetings, an act that surprised the representatives of Chile, Ecuador and Peru. .

 

Pascual Aguilera, leader of the National Coordinator of Jibieros of Chile, mentions that it is important for countries to have a more forceful and strong involvement in these meetings. “It is not possible that, since squid is a resource that essentially occurs on the coast of Spanish-speaking coastal countries, the forum that regulates this fishery is managed in English. This, without a doubt, puts us in inferior conditions when we have to defend our positions in discussions.”

 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the continent, the largest buyers of seafood in the world, strongly expressed their concerns about Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and its close relationship with serious allegations of violations. of human and labor rights towards workers in the giant squid fishery.

 

The most positive news of the meeting was SPRFMO's endorsement of a landmark decision on labor standards, which addressed reported human rights abuses in distant water fleets. Ecuador, the United States, New Zealand and Australia were the countries that presented two innovative proposals in this regard.

 

Despite high expectations, the results of the measures adopted at the twelfth SPRFMO meeting have been unsatisfactory for key actors in the giant squid fishery.

 

Proposals such as the implementation of the use of Spanish as a second language in SPRFMO meetings to ensure that Spanish-speaking countries can have a more active and equitable participation in the debates were not approved on this occasion. Or the need to urgently adopt the immediate minimum observer coverage of 10% of fishing days, finally ended up being made more flexible, with a minimum coverage of 2% being approved for vessels that fished in 2022 and did not reach the minimum of 5%.

 

Although the proposals of the Agreement on Port State Measures were not adopted, a working group for monitoring and surveillance was formed, led by Ecuador and the United States. In addition, the establishment of an "area of concern" to address the lack of knowledge about impacts on the ecosystem will be reviewed at the next meeting of the Scientific Committee, which will be held in September in the city of Lima.

 

Alfonso Miranda, president of CALAMASUR, expressed his deep dismay, stating that: “The Commission did not take advantage of the unique opportunity to advance in crucial areas of monitoring, control and surveillance in a fishery that still requires the guarantee of reliable and timely data provided by the fleets, especially those that operate far from their ports of landing in areas very close to the South American coast in the Convention Area,” he said.

 

In this way, the twelfth SPRFMO meeting concluded leaving a bittersweet taste among the participants, observers and different actors involved in the value chain who were waiting. Looking to the future, the giant squid fishery community hopes that the next SPRFMO Scientific Committee will effectively address the remaining challenges. It will be a decisive moment to demonstrate commitment to sustainability and justice in the management of our marine resources.

 

The synergy between collective action and political will will be essential to transform these hopes into reality.