CALAMASUR Urges European Union to Lead Fight Against Illegal Fishing of Jumbo Squid

SPAIN
Thursday, October 09, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

At the CONXEMAR fair in Vigo, Alfonso Miranda Eyzaguirre, President of CALAMASUR, stressed the need for the EU to use its power within the SPRFMO and its procurement policies to ensure the resource's traceability and sustainability.

VIGO – The global fishing industry gathered at the CONXEMAR International Frozen Seafood Products Exhibition in Vigo to address sustainability challenges. During the event, "Jumbo Squid: Management and Regional Challenges," Alfonso Miranda Eyzaguirre, President of the Committee for the Sustainable Management of Jumbo Squid in the South Pacific (CALAMASUR), made a direct appeal to the European Union (EU) to step up the fight against Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing.

Jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas) is one of the world's most abundant fisheries in the South Pacific, with annual catches exceeding one million tonnes. However, Miranda Eyzaguirre pointed to persistent unfair competition and structural problems, despite improved catches in 2025 following the historic low recorded in 2024.

"Last year, half of the annual average was fished, and although the outlook this year is better, the structural problems threatening sustainability persist. Chile and Peru have regulations that govern catch limits, but vessels from China operate without restrictions on the high seas," Miranda noted.

Stalemate at SPRFMO and the EU's Role

Fishing in the international waters of the South Pacific is regulated by the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO), which includes countries such as Chile, Peru, China, the European Union, and the United States.

The head of CALAMASUR recalled that at the last SPRFMO Scientific Committee meeting in September in New Zealand, no progress was made to ensure the long-term sustainability of the jumbo squid supply chain.

For this reason, Miranda Eyzaguirre called on the EU to take a proactive role within the international body. Given its robust representation, the EU could "drive many of the key discussions that are currently stalled and could improve the management of high-seas squid fishing."

Traceability as a Commercial Weapon

The CALAMASUR leader also stressed that the European industry has the power to establish stringent procurement policies:

• Exclude the sourcing of products originating from stocks without comprehensive management or those with falsified documents, practices that have been reported in some Chinese squid shipments.

• Ensure the traceability of squid entering Europe to prevent the entry of irregularly obtained goods.

"It is essential that the necessary steps are taken to ensure the publicly known facts that have just been reported do not continue," Miranda concluded.

Spain, Gateway and Electronic Commitment

At the same event, Yobana Bermúdez, General Director of CONXEMAR and representative of the Spanish Association of Wholesalers, Importers, Processors, and Exporters of Fish and Aquaculture Products, highlighted the importance of jumbo squid from Chile and Peru for the Spanish market.

Bermúdez emphasized that Spain serves as the gateway for this resource to European markets and announced a crucial step forward in the fight against illegal fishing:

"Starting in January 2026, a gradual process will begin to implement an electronic certificate to verify fishing catches entering the European Union."

According to Bermúdez, this measure will ensure that the European Union better fulfills its commitment to combat illegal fishing, stressing that the sustainability of jumbo squid is essential, not only for the local economies of Latin America but also for global food security. "It is time to act to guarantee its future," she concluded

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