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Photo: Revista Puerto/FIS
Historic Abundance of Illex: Record 2025 Norpatagonian Squid Season
ARGENTINA
Thursday, July 10, 2025, 00:30 (GMT + 9)
Argentina's squid fishery has experienced its best season in years, with an unprecedented 84,000 tonnes caught from the Norpatagonian stock, a phenomenon not seen in nearly three decades, attributed to exceptional environmental conditions.
MAR DEL PLATA – The 2025 squid season has marked a historic milestone for Argentina, solidifying its position as the best season in recent years with a total of nearly 204,000 tonnes landed. This volume surpasses 2024's catches (154,000 tonnes) by 33% and represents the highest figure in the last 17 years, according to a recent statement from Pesca Nación.
Much of this success is concentrated in the Northern Management Unit, where the abundance of the Norpatagonian stock (SBNP) reached levels not recorded in 28 years. "The jigger fleet caught 84,000 tonnes from this stock, the highest figure in the last 28 years," specified Marcela Ivanovic, head of INIDEP's Cephalopod Program, in statements to Revista Puerto. To find a higher catch in this unit, "one has to go back to 1998, when 94,000 tonnes were caught with almost 150 jigger vessels," Ivanovic recalled.
This year, the national jigger fleet was composed of 78 vessels – more than half with Chinese capital – which achieved similar yields both south and north of 44°S. The "pleasant surprise was what the Norpatagonian showed," Ivanovic acknowledged.
Keys to the Extraordinary Abundance
Marcela Ivanovic attributed this exceptional abundance to a "conjunction of favorable environmental conditions" last year, which facilitated squid reproduction. "A large proportion of eggs were able to hatch, and those larvae had enough food to grow and reach juvenile stages. When any of these factors don't occur, abundance is lower," she explained.
In addition to a larger quantity of the resource, there was an excess of available food, allowing the specimens to reach a normal size. "In the last stage of the season, there were large sizes, commercial size L, about 30 centimeters in mantle length," Ivanovic highlighted.
The Program Head also revealed the presence of a second cohort in the SBNP this year, although in smaller numbers and of smaller specimens than the first, whose concentration rapidly decreased. A similar phenomenon occurred in 2023, leading to a temporary closure of the fishing area to allow specimens to grow.
"Those squid will grow and migrate towards the slope. The foreign fleet won't fish them because they have already left the area. Now the reproductive stage begins, and we hope there will be more breeders," Ivanovic anticipated.
Yields and Future Outlook
The great abundance in the northern management unit had already been glimpsed from data collected during the research campaign carried out in April, which yielded a biomass of 100,000 tonnes, the highest value in recent years.
Regarding the foreign fleet operating outside Argentina's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), researchers estimated a catch of 180,000 tonnes south of 44°S, between 45° and 48°S, where about 300 vessels were present between weeks 1 and 20 of the season. North of 44°S, fishing effort was lower, with about 60 vessels and estimated catches of 30,000 tonnes. "The higher production level of the Argentine fleet prevented the foreign fleet from catching as much," Ivanovic noted.
This year, the national jigger fleet added five vessels, all with greater fishing power and hold capacity than many of the vessels operating on the resource. "In the 90s, there were up to one hundred and fifty jiggers within our economic zone, including Argentine and chartered ones. Abundances were higher than current levels. If the number of vessels increases, the operating speed would be higher, and the season would last less time. I think that with the number of vessels we have now, we are fine; it would not be opportune to increase it," she concluded, seeking to ensure the long-term sustainability of this vital resource.
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