Week 33 Squid Market Weekly Report: Overall Squid Prices Stabilize; Peru Launches Resource Survey, Falklands Suspends Loligo Fishing
- Doris
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
At the Zhejiang Zhoushan International Agricultural Products Trade Center (hereinafter referred to as ZNCC), the overall offshore squid market remained stable. Composite quoted prices for all size grades of squid from the Southeast Pacific, high‑seas Southwest Atlantic and Northwest Pacific stayed unchanged week‑on‑week. For Indian Ocean squid, the 1000‑2000 g and 2000‑4000 g size grades both fell by RMB 250 per tonne, settling at RMB 10,000‑10,500 per tonne; prices for other sizes held steady.
On August 14, at the Weihai International Marine Commodity Trading Center, quoted prices for Peruvian equatorial squid stood at RMB 14,000 /t (300‑500 g), RMB 12,400 /t (500‑1000 g) and RMB 11,500 /t (1000‑2000 g). For Argentine squid, price quotations were RMB 35,800 /t (150‑200 g), RMB 37,900 /t (200‑300 g), RMB 40,500 /t (300‑400 g) and RMB 40,500 /t (400‑600 g).
Composite quotations for all size grades of Southeast Pacific squid saw no adjustment in Week 33, stabilizing temporarily after weeks of successive declines. Based on incomplete raw monitoring statistics, the average per‑vessel daily catch on the high seas reached roughly 1‑2 tonnes last week; cumulative average catch per vessel since December 2025 stood at approximately 800‑850 tonnes.
In Peru, the First Regional Seminar on the Sustainable Development of Giant Squid (Dosidicus gigas) will be held in Lima on August 18‑19. Co‑hosted by the Permanent Commission for the South Pacific (CPPS) and the Commission for the Sustainable Management of Giant Squid in the South Pacific (CALAMASUR), the event will draw government authorities, research institutes, artisanal fishery organisations, enterprises and fisheries‑governance experts from Peru, Ecuador and Chile, alongside representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Agenda topics cover the status of giant‑squid resources, research progress and gaps, national management and monitoring experience, and challenges for coastal States engaging in governance under the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO).
On August 14, Peru’s Ministry of Production authorised the Peruvian Marine Institute (IMARPE) to launch Operation Giant Squid V from August 23 to 29. The survey will operate within national jurisdictional waters up to 150 nautical miles off Peru’s coastline. A maximum of 30 fishing vessels with hold capacity no greater than 32.6 m³ may participate. Vessels taking part must hold valid fishing licences, maintain normal operation of the SISESAT satellite‑monitoring system, and carry IMARPE scientific observers or record operational data as required. The operation aims to collect key bio‑fishery indicators for giant squid in Peruvian waters to underpin subsequent fishing activities and management decisions; the resolution does not set new annual fishing quotas directly.
Composite quotations for all size grades of high‑seas Southwest Atlantic squid remained flat week‑on‑week in Week 33, and the high‑seas Southwest‑Atlantic squid fishery has concluded. According to Pescare, an Argentine industry media outlet, drawing on species‑specific monthly statistics released by Argentina’s Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries up to August 11, Argentine ports unloaded 580,178.5 tonnes of fish, crustaceans and molluscs between January and July 2026 — the highest volume for the same period over the past decade. Landings of Argentine squid (Illex argentinus) totalled 188,428.1 tonnes, down 8.8 % (‑18,157.4 tonnes) against the January‑July 2025 figure, accounting for 32.5 % of the country’s total fisheries landings for the period.
In the Falkland Islands (Malvinas), local fisheries authorities announced on August 12 a roughly two‑week suspension of fishing activities within the Loligo Box due to low biomass of Loligo squid (Doryteuthis gahi). Pre‑fishery surveys ahead of the second fishing season estimated initial biomass at 17,508 tonnes — the third‑lowest opening‑season level for a second season in the past 20 years. The lower‑bound estimate of 14,049 tonnes exceeded the local escapement‑biomass reference threshold of 10,000 tonnes by 4,049 tonnes. Authorities have arranged directed trawl surveys by commercial fleets; updated resource assessments based on new survey data will determine subsequent operational arrangements.
Customs clearance volumes for China’s own‑caught offshore squid at Zhoushan Port rose substantially week‑on‑week in Week 33. Taken together, domestic offshore squid markets showed flat quotations from major producing regions, minor price falls for selected large‑size Indian‑Ocean squid grades, and higher import‑clearance volumes. The multi‑week downward price trend has slowed for the time being.
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