Argentina shortfin squid - jig (CAPA)

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.