Argentina's Squid Fishing Is Coming To An End, With 92% Of The Cargo Going To China

The 2025 Argentine squid fishing season is about to officially end. Despite strong fishing conditions at the beginning of the year, due to a sharp drop in resources, the Argentine Federal Fisheries Commission recently announced that the squid fishing activities for this season will be closed ahead of schedule from 00:00 on June 10.

Fishing season ends early

According to the Argentine Federal Fisheries Commission, the number of squid populations in Northern Patagonia has dropped significantly since the 17th week. By the 21st week, monitoring data showed that the squid escape rate had fallen below the biosafety threshold for maintaining sustainable reproduction of the species. To avoid further depletion of resources, the fishery authorities decided to terminate the operation ahead of schedule.

Fishing performance close to highs

At the beginning of this season, the squid fishing fleet had a total of 73 fishing boats in operation, completing 160 voyages, with an average daily output of 24 tons, and the initial cumulative catch reached 69,028 tons. At the same time, trawlers also caught 10,235 tons.

So far, the cumulative landing volume for the whole season has reached 162,759 tons. If the initial fishing efficiency continues, the original total production is expected to reach 180,000 tons, approaching the historical high. Ports such as Puerto Madryn received a large amount of squid during this season, among which the "Hai de Li 701" fishing boat caught more than 650 tons, making an outstanding contribution to the port.

Export prices rise, China accounts for a significant proportion

Exports are stable and improving. In 2025, the average export of Argentine squid increased by 9% compared with last year.

It is worth noting that China has become the main export destination, absorbing 92% of the export squid supply, and the import demand for Argentine squid has surged by 205% year-on-year. This trend reflects the core position of Argentine squid in the Chinese market.

In addition, international squid fishing vessels are active in the waters near the "201 nautical mile line" on the edge of Argentina's exclusive economic zone. Statistics show that there are more than 300 distant-water fishing vessels operating in the area all year round, mainly from China, South Korea, Spain and other countries, and their target is also Argentine squid resources.