Deep-sea Squid Market Hovers At Low Levels; Downstream Demand Recovery Remains Limited.

   Overall price quotes for various specifications of Southeast Pacific squid continued to fluctuate at low levels, with slight divergence based on supply-demand dynamics: weekly quotes for extra-small, small, and medium whole round squid rose by 100 RMB/ton, 150 RMB/ton, and 50 RMB/ton, respectively; conversely, prices for large-head, large whole round, and squid fillets declined, dropping by 150 RMB/ton, 100 RMB/ton, and 50 RMB/ton, respectively; quotes for other specifications, such as tail fins and mantles, remained stable throughout the week with no significant fluctuations.

   Regarding Peru: As of September 10, 2026, the latest statistics from the Peruvian Ministry of Production show that the cumulative landing volume of giant squid for the 2026 season reached 654,200 tons, with the utilization rate of the total annual fishing quota rising to 92.19%. Fishing progress for vessels with a hold capacity exceeding 10 cubic meters has neared 91%. To prevent the waste of remaining quota resources, the Ministry of Production established a special grace period: vessels of this class that had obtained valid sailing permits prior to the fishing suspension measures taking effect are permitted to extend their offshore operations and catch unloading until 23:59 on September 16.

   According to the latest data from Argentina's National Institute of Statistics and Census (INDEC), the seasonally adjusted fishery production index rose by 7.1% month-on-month in July 2026, marking the third consecutive month of positive growth. In terms of product composition, crustaceans were the primary driver of this growth; in contrast, the production of mollusks-including squid-was weak, falling sharply by 59.3% year-on-year in July, with cumulative production for the first seven months of 2026 declining by 8.4% year-on-year. Looking ahead to the short term, the domestic market for distant-water squid is expected to continue fluctuating within a weak range; while there is limited room for prices to drop further, overall upward momentum remains insufficient in the absence of a clear and significant release of end-market demand.