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With representatives from the entire value chain: the Chilean Alliance for the Sustainability of Artisanal Giant Squid is formed.
Chile Forms Alliance for Sustainable Artisanal Jumbo Squid, Driving a Responsible Fishing Future
CHILE
Thursday, July 10, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)
Artisanal fishers, marketers, and public and private representatives have officially formed a strategic alliance in Chile to strengthen management and ensure the sustainability of the jumbo squid, a vital resource for the nation.
 Santiago – In a significant step towards more sustainable fishing, the Chilean Alliance for the Sustainability of Artisanal Jumbo Squid has been officially established. This working group, emerging from a second intersectoral dialogue and collaboration session held last Friday, July 4, aims to articulate technical, social, and productive efforts to strengthen the management of this key fishery in Chile.
Artisanal fishers use jiggers (special squid hooks) operated manually, which requires physical effort when the species are large -->
Driven by the NGO Pesca Sustentable (Sustainable Fishing), the Alliance brings together representatives from across the entire value chain of the jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas). This resource, of great importance to Chile and available along its entire coast, can only be harvested using selective fishing gear, such as jiggers or handlines, since the promulgation of Law 21,134, known as the "Jumbo Squid Law."
 Romualdo Gallardo, secretary of the Caleta Portales Union and an active participant in the Alliance, emphasized the resource's importance for new generations of artisanal fishers. "We don't want the same thing to happen as with common hake, which is why I believe it's important that these sustainability workshops are held to protect it," Gallardo stated, highlighting the need for continuous information and learning. "Furthermore, it's important to be informed and keep learning, especially because we artisanal fishers are the main actors, who bring the resource to the consumer."
Mission and Strategy: Towards a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP)
During the working session, the involved stakeholders reached a consensus on a public declaration of purpose for this group, agreeing on an ambitious strategy: to work on a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) for the resource.
The defined mission for the Alliance is clear: "To promote and coordinate actions to advance towards the sustainability of artisanal jumbo squid, strengthening the efficiency and reliability of its supply chain, from fishing to the final consumer, both nationally and internationally. To this end, the Alliance actively coordinates and participates in a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP), providing technical advice, promoting compliance with quality, sustainability, and traceability standards, and articulating artisanal sector stakeholders with their public and private allies."
 Gonzalo Araya, Market Linkages Director for the NGO Pesca Sustentable, praised the initiative, highlighting its crucial role. "These types of meetings are key to creating a joint roadmap that addresses the sustainability needs of international markets, but also to strengthen the local work of fishing communities," Araya commented. He added that the Alliance "facilitates the connection between those who extract, process, market, and regulate jumbo squid, promoting more participatory governance with a long-term vision."
For his part, Eric Parra, a jumbo squid marketer and artisanal fisher for over 20 years, acknowledged the urgency of the work. "We are falling behind as a country: we still don't have a Management Committee, and there is a lack of information about the resource. We have been fishing for years, but we still know little," Parra noted, expressing his hope that "spaces like this allow collaboration and, hopefully, tomorrow, we can advise the relevant entities."
Work Guidelines and Future Challenges
The session included key technical presentations to establish a common knowledge base. Jorge Farías, head of the Demersal Fisheries Unit at the Undersecretariat of Fisheries (SUBPESCA), discussed general concepts of fisheries administration. Romina Paillán, a professional from SUBPESCA's Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management Unit, addressed the role of the Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMO) in strengthening international governance regarding jumbo squid.
To conclude this expository block, Gonzalo Olea, Director of Fisheries Management for the NGO Pesca Sustentable, presented the results of a pre-assessment of the resource, identifying the main aspects for improvement that the Alliance can collaboratively address.
The creation of this strategic Alliance marks a firm commitment to ensuring the long-term viability of Chilean jumbo squid, protecting it from overexploitation and promoting practices that guarantee its abundance for future generations of fishers and consumers.
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