Image: Sea Shepherd / FIS

IUU: Squid fishing grew 68% in just three years.

The following is an excerpt from an article published by The Conversation:

Squid fishing grew by 68% in just three years, raising fears the industry is out of control

Global squid fishing increased by 68% between 2017 and 2020, according to our international analysis, prompting concerns that much of the international fishing fleet is sidestepping necessary conservation and management.

Our study, carried out with colleagues in Australia, Japan, the United States, Chile and Canada, and published today in Science Advances, reveals that almost all of the increase in squid fishing has occurred in unregulated areas, with 86% of squid fishing now occurring in places with little or no scrutiny of catch sizes.

Unregulated fishing poses a significant challenge to fishery sustainability and raises substantial equity concerns. While attention has tended to focus on illegal fishing, the growth in legal but unregulated fishing may pose an even bigger threat, particularly to species such as squid, whose fisheries can cover entire oceans.

To estimate the scale of global squid fishing, we analysed satellite imagery and vessel tracking data to see how many vessels are fishing for squid, and where and how often they operate.

Squid fishing vessels are typically outfitted with powerful lamps to attract squid to the surface. These lamps are so powerful that they are visible from space. This means we can use satellite data to spot these lights at night, along with data from the ships’ Automatic Identification System (AIS), which allows authorities to monitor the location and course of registered vessels.

Using this data, we estimate that the amount of light-luring vessel effort increased from an estimated 149,000 vessel days in 2017, to 251,000 vessel days in 2020. Of these, 61-63% were by vessels not broadcasting their AIS, and thus only visible by the loom from their lamps. This light-luring vessel effort represents an estimated total of 801,000 vessel days over the period 2017–20.

Finally, we correlated these data with national and regional management bodies, and determine how much of this activity is unregulated.

Port connections to squid vessels fishing in the Indian Ocean. 

Squid fishing vessel connectivity in the NW Indian Ocean. The number and size of circles corresponds to the vessels that fished in the NW Indian Ocean region; the width of white connecting lines and numbers correspond to the vessels that were observed in port in each country listed. Source: Science

A complex problem

Regulation and management of globalised squid fisheries is complex, because this fishing takes place both in waters that are under national jurisdiction and on the high seas. Consequently, cooperation is fundamental to ensure fisheries are regulated at sustainable levels and avoid gaps or loopholes.

Regional fisheries management organisations have been established through international treaties to provide the framework for such cooperation, and to regulate so-called “transboundary” fisheries. However, out of 17 such organisations in existence, only two – the North Pacific Fisheries Commission and the South Pacific Fisheries Management Organisation – have dealt with squid fisheries. This means there are still large gaps in the Indian and Atlantic oceans.

Carrier vessel connectivity

Globalized carrier vessel connectivity. The number and size of circles corresponds to the vessels observed in AIS in each ocean region (NW Pacific Ocean, purple; SE Pacific Ocean, teal; SW Atlantic Ocean, green; NW Indian Ocean, pink). The width of white connecting lines and numbers correspond to the vessels that were observed in both regions connected.

Furthermore, it is not enough to create a regional fisheries management organisations; parties must also ensure the organisation actually adopts regulations. The United Nations’ International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing defines unregulated fishing (among other things) as that which occurs “in areas or for fish stocks in relation to which there are no applicable conservation or management measures”. Regional fisheries management organisations must do more than simply exist or adopt general measures if their fisheries are to be considered regulated.

Author: Jo Adetunji | Read the full article by clicking the link here

Related news:

• RESEARCH ARTICLE | Fishing through the cracks: The unregulated nature of global squid fisheries

• Chinese Government analyzes the future situation of the distant water fishing fleet (squid, tuna and other species)

• Zhoushan Ocean and Fishery Bureau's 'three-point focus' to create a modern fishery 'island model'

• The first batch of ocean-going fiberglass-reinforced plastic tuna longline fishing boats delivered to Liancheng Ocean

• In 2022, China's tuna and squid production will stabilize at around 2.25 million tons.

• China's experience of 'overfishing' of domestic squid and 'maritime development'

• Chinese government tries to promote sustainable development of distant-water tuna and squid fisheries

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