Photo: Mercopress/FIS

Loligo Fishery in the Falklands Closes Early Due to Biomass: Concern Over Environmental 'Knowledge Gap'

FALKLAND ISLANDS
Friday, October 03, 2025, 04:00 (GMT + 9)

Catches Reached 18,000 Tonnes in the Second Season; Falklands Government Calls for Urgent Research to Understand the Squid's High Environmental Sensitivity

The second Loligo (Doryteuthis gahi) squid fishing season in the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) has concluded ahead of schedule, approximately one week earlier than expected. The decision was made after daily monitoring confirmed that the biomass had reached the minimum threshold required to safeguard the long-term sustainability of the stock.

Photo: YouTube/fitv.co.fk

Spanish sources, who are active participants in the fishery, report that vessels managed to catch around 18,000 tonnes of squid and have accepted that conservation must be paramount. Nevertheless, some vessels remained in the South Atlantic to take advantage of other pending fishing licenses

High Sensitivity and 12-Month Life Cycle

Mathew Jenkins, Director of Natural Resources for the Falklands Government, highlighted in an interview with Falklands TV the urgent need for more scientific research to understand the dynamics of the Loligo stock.

"The Loligo has a twelve-month life cycle and there is natural variation among the years," Jenkins explained. "They are highly sensitive to environmental factors, but exactly what those parameters are, we don’t know at the moment."

This lack of understanding constitutes a crucial "knowledge gap" for the management of the fishery. Jenkins confirmed that conversations have already begun with the scientific research center SAERI (South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute) and other stakeholders to identify these shortcomings.

Mid- and Long-Term Research Projects

The Government expects to start some of the research next year, although it warned that many of the studies will be mid- and long-term projects.

Photo: YouTube/fitv.co.fk

"We will establish some reliable baseline data," Jenkins added, noting that it will take "considerably longer" to extrapolate that data to fully understand the factors influencing the squid population. The goal is to strengthen the management of one of the archipelago's most valuable fisheries resources.

Source: MercoPress

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