Luo Yi, Vice President of Shanghai Ocean University, delivered an opening speech

Scientists Convene in Shanghai to Discuss Giant Squid Conservation and Management

CHINA
Thursday, July 03, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

Experts underscore the urgent need for enhanced biological and stock knowledge of the resource.

Shanghai - The president of the Committee for the Sustainable Management of Giant Squid (CALAMASUR), Alfonso Miranda Eyzaguirre, highlighted that giant squid is the most vital cephalopod fishery globally, primarily harvested by three nations: China, Chile, and Peru. This sector collectively generates over $3 billion annually, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Despite its immense importance, Miranda Eyzaguirre stressed that current giant squid management has been deficient for over a decade. He cited a lack of comprehensive management systems and the persistent scourge of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing as key challenges. He warned that these issues could severely impact the sector's economic viability and endanger the livelihoods of families dependent on this fishery for food and work.

The CALAMASUR president expressed alarm over a nearly 50% reduction in giant squid catches, plummeting from over 1.1 million tons in 2023 to just 600,000 tons in 2024. While catches show signs of recovery this year, he noted that the alarm has been sounded and seemingly heard in China.

Gang Li, Scientist at Shanghai Ocean University; Nicolás Iván Prandoni, a researcher at Argentina's National Institute of Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP); and Chen Xinjun, Dean of the School of Marine Biological Resources and Management at Shanghai Ocean University, all delivered speeches at the symposium.

Scientific and Academic Analysis

The Shanghai Ocean University recently hosted the International Symposium on Squid Conservation and Management. The event gathered university scientists, Chinese fishery authorities, representatives from distant-water fleets, and processing plants. Delegations from research institutes of the Argentine, Chilean, and Peruvian governments, along with CALAMASUR, also participated.

Chen Jian, president of the Zhoushan Pelagic Center, and Alfonso Miranda Eyzaguirre. In the photo on the right, Renatto Gozzer and Rodrigo Wiff, advisors to CALAMASUR, along with Alfonso Miranda Eyzaguirre.

The symposium was inaugurated by Haiwen Sun, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Fisheries at China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Sun emphatically stated that China aims to foster a new approach with Latin American coastal states to ensure sustainable and long-term beneficial squid management. Regarding IUU fishing, he declared China's current policy to be zero tolerance.

The conference set up special topics such as "China's voluntary fishing moratorium measures on the high seas" and "squid resource assessment and management". 

CALAMASUR President Alfonso Miranda Eyzaguirre welcomed China's stated intentions as a positive step. However, he emphasized that words must translate into action, asserting that relations among those involved in South Pacific squid fishing should be based on transparency and mutual benefit, prioritizing the development of artisanal fishing in South American countries.

Photo of the participants. Image courtesy of Shanghai Ocean University.

The academic gathering also featured prominent scientists who presented advancements in various giant squid stock assessment models, alongside their theories on the complexities of modeling such an intricate resource. Miranda Eyzaguirre noted that the species has a short lifespan, dies after reproduction, forms a vast metapopulation distributed across a wide portion of the Pacific Ocean, and its growth and reproduction are highly sensitive to environmental factors.

Dr. Ricardo Oliveros, Chair of the Scientific Committee of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO), indicated that all evidence suggests giant squid forms a single large population unit in the South Pacific. Other scientists, including Dr. Gang Li, Dr. Rodrigo Wiff, and Dr. Ignacio Payá, showcased significant progress in developing mathematical models to assess the resource's population health and inform fisheries management.

Finally, participants stressed the critical need for scientific data sharing among nations and prompt action to inform high-seas fisheries management. They concluded that the increased fishing activity in recent years demands that decision-making no longer be postponed

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