Photo: APPES Chile/FIS

Chile's Giant Squid Exporters Agree on Actions to Safeguard the Resource

CHILE
Thursday, October 02, 2025, 02:00 (GMT + 9)

APPES Chile Organizes Key Meeting in Santiago and Demands Catch Limits for the Asian Fleet; Export Value Exceeded $200 Million USD in 2024

SANTIAGO DE CHILE — The First National Meeting of Giant Squid Processors and Exporters of Chile took place on October 1, bringing together the main exporting companies of jibia (giant squid - dosidicus gigas). The participating companies represented 84% of the value of Chilean squid exports, which amounted to nearly 200 million U.S. dollars in 2024.

The Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Julio Salas, inaugurating the event

The event, organized by APPES Chile (Trade Association of Chilean Fishery Plants) with support from CALAMASUR and the Innovations for Ocean Action (I4OA) Foundation, was attended by top officials: Julio Salas (Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture, SUBPESCA), Soledad Tapia (National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service, SERNAPESCA), and Gonzalo Pereira (Fisheries Development Institute, IFOP).

Soledad Tapia, National Director of the Chilean National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (SERNAPESCA)

Key Action Areas for Sustainability

Francisco Vega, newly elected president of APPES Chile, opened the meeting by emphasizing the importance of private sector organization for the protection of the squid. Julio Salas highlighted that the squid issue "will begin to take on considerably greater relevance in the national and international arena" in the coming years, citing the coordination with CALAMASUR that began in 2022.

Family photo of the event participants

At the close, Cristian Sánchez, secretary of APPES Chile, outlined the three main axes the exporting plants will focus on in the coming months:

1. Internal Alignment: Harmonizing their vision on the management plan for the sustainable governance of the squid fishery.

2. Public-Private Alliance: Intensifying coordination with IFOP to increase the availability of biological samples and fisheries data to better inform decision-making.

3. International Management: Accelerating the establishment of catch limits to ensure that fishing carried out by the Asian fleet in international waters does not affect the productive viability of the Chilean industry.

Sánchez concluded that the event lays the groundwork for working together to ensure the giant squid, which generates "thousands of jobs" for the country, remains a sustainable resource.

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