Peruvian Squid Supplies Surged, Argentine Squid Prices Declined.
Jun 30, 2026
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From June 19th to June 25th, the domestic deep-sea squid market continued to show a divergent trend. In the Southeast Pacific, squid supply increased significantly due to high Peruvian production and concentrated imports, leading to a continued decline in prices for main products such as whole squid, sliced squid, and carcasses. In the Southwest Atlantic (outside the coast), the previous continuous price increase ended, and the market entered a consolidation phase at high levels, with small and medium-sized squid experiencing slight price drops, while large-sized products remained firm. The Northwest Pacific and Indian Ocean markets remained stable, with prices largely unchanged from the previous week. Current market performance indicates that different production areas have entered different operating rhythms, with supply pace, resource conditions, and end-user procurement all contributing to the continued divergence in market trends.
Southeast Pacific supply increased, most sizes continued to decline.
In week 26, the Southeast Pacific squid market continued its adjustment trend. Peruvian self-caught squid maintained high production, coupled with concentrated imports, further increasing market supply and putting downward pressure on prices. Among the various specifications of squid this week, small whole squid saw the largest price drop, falling by 600 yuan/ton compared to last week; extra-small and medium-sized whole squid both fell by 450 yuan/ton; small carcasses and slices fell by 500 yuan/ton respectively; tail fins fell by 250 yuan/ton, with only tail tips bucking the trend and rising by 600 yuan/ton.
Peru has completed over 90% of its annual quota, with June catches remaining high.
Data from the Peruvian Ministry of Production (PRODUCE) shows that as of June 25, the cumulative unloading volume of Peruvian giant squid (Dosidicus gigas) reached 492,984.22 tons, completing 91.42% of the annual quota for 2026. Based on the current catch progress, the unloading volume in June alone has exceeded 90,000 tons, and the resource supply remains at a high level. June 29th is the traditional St. Peter and Paul Day in Peru, during which local fishing boats typically suspend fishing for about a week, with plans to gradually resume production in early July. Due to the early return of many ships to port to unload cargo before the holiday, raw materials at ports have been released in a concentrated manner recently, further exacerbating market supply pressure and causing local raw material purchase prices to continue to decline. In high seas operations, the average daily catch per vessel remained at 2-6 tons last week. According to industry statistics, since December 2025, the cumulative average catch per vessel is approximately 700-750 tons.
Argentine squid prices ended their continuous rise, with smaller sizes leading the correction.
After a period of continuous increases, the Southwest Atlantic (off-line) squid market entered a consolidation phase in the 26th week. Prices for 100-150g and 150-200g products fell by 250 yuan/ton, while prices for products over 200g remained stable, indicating a clear differentiation in market sizes. Currently, large-sized resources remain tight, supporting prices; the supply of small and medium-sized products is relatively abundant, while the recovery speed of end-user consumption is still limited, thus leading to price adjustments first.