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Photo: Facebook/AME
The invisible agenda of the giant squid
PERU
Sunday, September 08, 2024, 04:00 (GMT + 9)
There has been extensive discussion regarding the need to correct the denaturation of Supreme Decree 016-2020-PRODUCE, which has been ignored since 2023, to allow the entry of more than 300 Chinese industrial vessels into Peruvian ports, without having the satellite device required by law. Let us hope that, in the midst of the most serious crisis in artisanal fishing in the last 30 years, possibly motivated by the aforementioned invasion, the State will comply with restoring the full validity of the legal device.
.png) The seriousness of this issue, however, has contributed to making other priority issues on the giant squid agenda invisible. It is necessary that the fight against the illegal construction of more artisanal vessels begins to show tangible results. The Ministry of Production (PRODUCE) has identified 94 illegal boat construction shipyards that operate under the noses of all the authorities involved. The agency also acknowledged that more inter-institutional coordination is needed to deactivate these enclosures and sanction those responsible.
Most of the hydrobiological species in the Peruvian sea are fully exploited. It is not possible to be sustainable and continue increasing fishing effort, so this growth must be stopped.
PRODUCE has worked on a draft of a new Regulation for the Management of Giant Squid Fisheries (ROP), whose publication for public consultation was estimated for last July. A new ROP is an urgent need, because it would provide the legal security that all economic activity needs to develop in the long term. In addition, it would allow .png) the giant squid fishery to reduce its governance gaps, with respect to what is established by the international standard of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), a paradigm for certifying the sustainability of fisheries worldwide. It would be a great achievement for Peru to have the MSC distinction for the first time in its history.
The widespread use of SISESAT satellite tracking equipment among artisanal fleets is another pending challenge. In this regard, PRODUCE has made significant progress by amending the regulations, adjusting the technical requirements to the reality of this fishing and generating conditions for an increase in the supply of this technology in the country. The registration of new suppliers and greater promotion actions are still pending. It should be remembered that from January 2025 the SISESAT satellite device will be mandatory for formalized vessels, so it is necessary to generate favorable conditions for the full implementation of this important public policy.
The registration of vessels in the registry of the SPRFMO - South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (OROP-PS) has a high priority because this institution regulates fishing outside the 200 miles of Peru. In this area, the artisanal sector and PRODUCE are managing to cooperate to increase the number of boats currently registered from 50 to at least 1,000 before the next meeting of the OROP-PS in February 2025. Being registered with the OROP-PS is a long-term insurance for this supply chain.
Circumstantially, the giant squid could change its distribution in the future and it will be necessary to look for it far from the maritime domain, in international waters governed by that organization.
This is the giant squid or 'pota' (dosidicus gigas) resource, which generates the most employment within the sector, supports artisanal fishing and the fishing industry for human consumption, in addition to being a crucial element for food security. We Peruvians must preserve it and protect it from voracious appetites. The authorities do not ignore it and have the legal obligation to comply with its custody.
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