Argentina shortfin squid - jig (CAPA)

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Overview

Shortfin squid is distributed in the Southwest Atlantic, from Brazil to southern Argentina, the Falkland Islands, and east to the high seas. The shortfin squid fishery is one of the largest squid fisheries in the world and one of the four most relevant to Argentina.

Shortfin squid has a short lifespan, of about one year. The adults tend to be associated with the sea bottom and are commonly found between 100 and 600 meters deep. Several seasonal spawning populations exist, resulting in reproduction that occurs throughout the entire year.

Because shortfin squid is an annual species, its abundance is difficult to determine and varies greatly from year to year.

In Argentine waters, the fishery is focused on a single population that is divided into four sub-units for evaluation purposes: South Patagonian, Bonaerensis/North Patagonian, Summer Spawning, and Spring Spawning. Only the two first units are targeted for fishing, and they are assessed as separate units.

The fishing fleet, which operates throughout the EEZ, is the only western fleet that uses jigs for catching shortfin squid. Jigger vessels normally fish at night, concentrating the shoals with light from strong lamps located on the decks of the vessels, often complemented by underwater lamps.

The fishing season for vessels authorized to fish for squid (established by Resolution 973/97 of the Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, y Pesca) runs between February 1 and August 31, when the species is migrating over the continental shelf. A designated closure is applied between September and January to protect juveniles. Between February 1 and June 30, fishing is allowed south of 44° S and is carried out on two subpopulations: Summer Spawning (reproductive concentrations) at the beginning of the season and South Patagonian (pre-reproductive concentrations) during the whole period. The fishing season north of 44° S begins on May 1 and closes on August 31. The subpopulation of Bonaerensis/North Patagonian (pre-reproductive concentrations) is captured during this period, as is the Spring Spawning subpopulation, though to a lesser extent and at the end of the season.

As other cephalopod fisheries, the Argentine squid fishery is largely affected by a number of factors. Recruitment and abundance may be highly variable on annual time scales, which makes very difficult to set rebuilding timeframes. It is unclear if the decrease in abundance of the SPS is due to overfishing, unfavorable environmental conditions or other external circumstances. However, no information has been found about the necessity of rebuilding the SPS stock, no rebuilding timeframe has been specified for the stock and there is no evidence that the current rebuilding strategies are rebuilding it. Also, there are not specific harvest control rules or tools for the Argentine shortfin squid fishery that adjust exploitation levels or rates in response to stock status indicators. These ultimately need to be developed in concert with the INIDEP and the management system.

FIP Description 

Shortfin squid is distributed in the Southwest Atlantic, from Brazil to southern Argentina, the Falkland Islands, and east to the high seas.

FIP Objective(s) 

The general goal of the Argentina shortfin squid FIP is to achieve, for early 2028, a consolidated management system needed to reach a minimum score of 80 for the main the MSC Fisheries Standard performance indicators, and eventually transition to the full assessment process for the fishery certification.

A series of the specific goals has been designed in relation with the status of the stocks, the harvest strategy, ecosystemic and environmental challenge and the governance system:

In order to introduce ecological rationality in relation to the squid stocks:

  • Establish biological reference points for the stocks (timeframe: January 2028)
  • Elaborate a harvest strategy with explicit and clear harvest control rules (timeframe: January 2028)

In order to protect the environment and to understanding the resilience of marine ecosystems to fisheries:

  • Collect information about the impact of fishing activities over the seabirds (timeframe: January 2026)
  • Identification and evaluation of ecosystem indicators that account for the fishery-ecosystem relationship (timeframe: July 2025)
  • Identify the key elements of the ecosystem structure and function. (timeframe: January 2026)
  • Describe the ecosystem management strategies implemented (timeframe: January 2027)

In relation with the management system:

  • Elaborate a draft management plan containing explicit specific objectives of the fishery, harvest strategy and knowledge about the impacts of the fishery on the ecosystem in the fishing areas for the squid in the Argentine Sea ecosystemic  (timeframe: January 2028)
  • Establish a permanent review of the management procedures (timeframe: January 2028)

 

 

FIP Type 
Comprehensive
FIP Stage 
Stage 3: FIP Implementation
Start and Projected End Dates
February 2023
January 2028
Last Progress Report Reviewed 
Friday, May 31, 2024
Next Progress Report Due 
Saturday, November 30, 2024
Species 
Common Name 
Argentine Shortfin Squid
Scientific Name
Illex argentinus
Gear Type 
Jig
Location
FAO Major Fishing Area
Area 41 (Atlantic, Southwest)
Exclusive Economic Zones
Country 
Argentina
Geographic Scope 
Entire Country
Country Flag of Vessel 
Argentina
Landings
Estimated Total FIP Landings 
108,339 metric tons
Estimated Total Fishery Landings 
148,106 metric tons
Landings Date 
June 2024
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FIP at a Glance

View current status
February 01, 2023
11% 36% 54%
Progress Rating (A) Advanced Progress

Reserved for comprehensive FIPs that have achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within the past 12 months.

(B) Good Progress

A basic FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within 12 months.

(C) Some Recent Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months that has never achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result but has reported a Stage 3 activity within the first 12 months.
(D) Some Past Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months BUT has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old AND a Stage 3 activity has been reported within six months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
(E) Negligible Progress
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old, with no Stage 3 activity reported in the last six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months with no Stage 3 activity reported within 12 months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.

The ratings are currently derived by SFP from publicly available data on FIP websites, including FisheryProgress.org, and are determined using the following methodology: View PDF

D Some Past Progress
Actions Complete

This pie chart represents completed environmental actions. Non-completed environmental actions may contain completed sub-tasks that are not illustrated here. For more information on environmental action progress visit the Actions Progress tab.

  • Complete
  • Incomplete
Next Update Due FisheryProgress requires a FIP to provide update reports every six months, and two missed reports will render the FIP inactive. If a report is overdue, this date will appear red.
Nov 2024
Target End Date
Jan 2028

FIP Leads

Organization Name 
Cámara de Armadores de Poteros de Argentina (C.A.P.A)
Organization Type 
Industry
Primary Contact 
Dario Socrate
FIP Identification Number The FIP Identification Number is automatically generated by FisheryProgress when a FIP profile is created. While the number itself is not meaningful, they are used by NGOs, academia, and industry to refer to FIPs in a consistent way.
19585