What was a trend a week ago is now a confirmed fact, according to the Galician press: the Spanish fleet operating illegally in our Malvina Islands will return to port with more than 42,000 tons of squid caught in just 64 days of fishing. While shipowners in Vigo celebrate the "return to normal," Argentina is witnessing a new phase in the financial consolidation of the British enclave, funded by European capital.

The figure for the loot: 4,000 tons more than in 2025

By the end of this first season (summer 2026) next weekend in May, the 16 freezer trawlers, jointly owned by Spanish and British investors, will have surpassed last year's catch of 38,000 tons. This increase of 4,000 tons represents a vital lifeline for the colonial administration, which depends on the sale of these illegal licenses to maintain its infrastructure in the South Atlantic.

The Monteferro vessel, which led the prospecting in February, paved the way for a harvest that the Spanish sector describes as "successful," highlighting not only the volume but also the "adequate size" of the squid.

For Argentina, this commercial success is proof of the systematic theft of a migratory resource that originates on our platform and is intercepted by a fleet that deliberately ignores the national Fisheries Law.

The cynicism of the "Patagonian Squid"

It is remarkable how Galician media outlets, such as Faro de Vigo and La Voz de Galicia, use the term "Patagonian squid" to refer to the Loligo . This is an unwitting admission: they acknowledge the biological and geographical origin of the resource, which is linked to Argentine Patagonia, but they harvest it under an illegitimate flag and with permits granted by an usurping power .

The false ethics of "Conservation"

The fishing sector in the Galician ports of Vigo and Marín insists that this result is due to "following the recommendations of the scientific community." This narrative attempts to whitewash an industry that, in 2024 and 2025, brought the fishing grounds to the brink of collapse, forcing early closures. There is no "responsible management" in a usurped territory. What exists is an opportunistic exploitation: a halt to the resource being depleted so that the plundering can resume when the biomass recovers.

The oxygen that finances the occupation

This positive balance for the fleet of joint ventures (linked to companies such as Pescapuerta, Lanzal and Grupo Pereira ) has three direct consequences for our sovereignty:

1.   Colonial Support: Licensing revenues ensure that the British colony maintains its fiscal surplus while it pursues larger-scale projects such as the Sea Lion oil field.

2.   Corporate Impunity: By completing the planned 64 days of work, Galician companies reaffirm their alliance with London, distancing themselves from any compliance with Argentine regulations.

3.   European Double Standards: While Spain claims sovereignty over Gibraltar, its companies are the UK's main partners in the illegal exploitation of Argentine resources.

The "normality" that Vigo speaks of is the greatest affront to the 47 million Argentinians. Every one of the 42,000 tons of squid that will cross the Atlantic to European plates is heritage stolen from the nation that gave refuge to millions of Spaniards.

Fountain:

The Voice of Galicia