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Photo: Diego Izquierdo/Revista Puerto
Historic Squid Season in Argentina: Catches Exceed 200 Thousand Tons with Mar del Plata as the Epicenter
ARGENTINA
Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 04:00 (GMT + 9)
Jigger Fleet Drives Exceptional Volume in Best Season in Four Years
MAR DEL PLATA – Argentina's Illex squid season has concluded with record figures, surpassing 200 thousand tons in national landings and solidifying Mar del Plata as the main port of discharge. Despite operational challenges, the end of the season saw a massive influx of vessels that boosted statistics to levels not seen in the last four years.
 As of last week, official statistics recorded 193,138 tons of squid landed. However, after the season closed, the discharge from nearly thirty additional jiggers pushed the total above 200 thousand tons, confirming an exceptional season.
Photo: Diego Izquierdo/Revista Puerto-->
Mar del Plata: From Shortcomings to Record Figures
While positioning itself as the epicenter of activity, the port of Mar del Plata faced various shortcomings that delayed operations during the season. This led to three vessels diverting their discharge to other ports, as reported by Revista Puerto.
After a start in the red, when the season concentrated in the Management Unit south of 44°S and Puerto Madryn received most of the landings, the Mar del Plata port made a remarkable recovery. This improvement occurred when fishing for the valuable Buenos Aires-North Patagonian stock was authorized, allowing the coastal city to close the season with figures in the green.
The grand finale of the season offered an unusual sight on the Mar del Plata coast, with about 30 jigger boats anchored awaiting their turn to unload. Various reasons caused the slow entry and discharge process, keeping these vessels silhouetted against the coastal horizon for several days.
Photo: Revista Puerto
National and Regional Figures
As of June 10, squid landings totaled 193,138 tons, representing a 27% increase year-over-year. This season is confirmed as the best of the last four years, and the detailed final numbers will be reflected in next week's official statistics.
With this final surge, Mar del Plata will approach 100 thousand tons of squid received during the season. As of June 10, it had accumulated 87,259 tons, 44% more than in the same period last year. Meanwhile, Madryn totaled 64,500 tons, 65% more than last year, while Puerto Deseado added 35 thousand tons, experiencing a 9% decrease compared to 2024.
Photo: Revista Puerto
Fleet Performance
Analyzing Illex landings by fleet type, jiggers had a great season. As of last week, the improvement was 32%, accounting for 167 thousand tons landed compared to 126,500 tons last year.
The participation of freezer trawlers remained stable relative to 2024, with nearly 20 thousand tons declared. The fresh fish fleet, benefiting from the abundance of the Buenos Aires-North Patagonian stock north of 44°S, saw its catches grow by 9%, totaling nearly 6 thousand tons.
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