International pressure grows over jumbo flying squid fishing, with Peru at the center of the regional debate
International pressure to regulate jumbo flying squid or pota (Dosidicus gigas) fishing in the South Pacific has intensified in 2026, after the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) warned that this fishery is approaching an ecological and social crisis due to the expansion of China’s distant-water fleet, weak regional governance, and the lack of transparency on the high seas, where catching boats deliver the squid to mother ships that discharge in China, avoiding independent controls. According to the report, the absence of catch limits, effective monitoring, and enforceable safeguards has left the fishery in a highly vulnerable situation.
The issue directly affects Peru, one of the countries most closely linked to this resource. Jumbo flying squid is one of Peru’s main fisheries by volume, and the regional debate is of particular concern because of its potential impact on employment, artisanal fishing activity, and the sustainability of the resource. At the same time, more than 50 organizations from Latin America, North America, and Europe have called on the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) to adopt urgent measures, including precautionary catch limits, improved monitoring, and stronger control over the fleet operating in international waters.
In March, SPRFMO adopted new measures to strengthen oversight of the fishery, including electronic monitoring standards and a consolidated measure for jumbo flying squid. However, there is still a perception that progress remains partial in comparison with the pace of expanding fishing effort.
In the Peruvian case, PRODUCE has been progressively adjusting the total allowable catch for jumbo flying squid in 2026 as the season advanced. First, in January, a quota of 76,324 MT was established for January-February; then, on February 12, it was expanded to 179,188 MT for January-April; and later, on March 26, the current quota of 305,417 MT was established for the period from January 1 to June 30, 2026. According to an official statement, 206,486 MT have already been landed, representing 67.61% of that quota.