The Spanish-British fleet fishing in the Malvinas has been in the South Atlantic since August, although the majority of the 17 vessels have decided to leave the waters of the islands usurped by Great Britain and search for other interesting species in the vicinity.
And it will not be easy: the area outside the fishing ground, what some call the international sea, is "invaded" by fishing vessels from all over the world, especially from the Far East.
But there is no other option. Fishing for loligo squid has been closed after it was confirmed that, as last year, there is not enough product to authorise catches.
In fact, it is worse than in 2023: in the first season, the vessels based in Vigo totalled around 45,000 tonnes. And in the second, around 15,000, until biologists pointed out that it could not continue due to the scarcity of the cephalopod.
This year, the first campaign was again good - more than 50,000 tonnes - but the second one never even got off the ground. “There wasn’t even a campaign, that’s the reality, but our boats are still there looking for other species to avoid a total economic collapse” , said Javier Touza, president of the shipowners’ cooperative of the port of Vigo . He himself, through the company Chymar SA , has two vessels operating in the area. “It is clear that this year we are not going to meet our objectives, we are trying to reduce the damage, and one option is hake fishing, although the catches will be lower” , he said.
Biologists from the colony that invaded the Malvinas Islands are now carrying out new studies to try to find out why the biomass has once again dropped below 10,000 tonnes. Among the causes being considered are a change in salinity and also in the currents, which would have a major impact in the second half of the year.
The payment of the fee to the usurping government for allowing exclusive exploitation of the fishing grounds remains to be resolved. Although the Malvinas fleet has not added a single kilo, the signed obligations remain in place. Javier Touza does not want to get into this matter, and points out that it is still under study, although he recognises that it will not be easy to get the Kelpers to give up income that is key to maintaining the economy of the islands claimed by Argentina.
Squid is the main resource from the Malvinas, with 90% of fishery exports going to the EU through joint ventures based in Vigo.
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