Yesterday, the specialized website Pescare published the first estimates of what the Spanish fleet fishing in the waters of the Malvina Islands under an illegal British license expects to catch by the end of the 2025 summer season for loligo squid, following the records of catches obtained in March.
It was learned that the 17 vessels operating under colonial control and regime, which began operations on March 1st, could harvest nearly 45,000 tons of this cephalopod species in three months .
"From March 1 to 31, we've maintained an average of between 700 and 800 tons per day among the 16 vessels in the fishing ground. If this pace continues through April, we could close the season with around 45,000 tons, which is a very good result," explained Javier Touza, president of ARVI (Vigo Shipowners' Association) and manager of two freezer vessels in the area.
The positive projected catch figures appear to put an end to eight months of uncertainty, following the cancellation of the winter season in August of last year due to the low volume of squid in the area . This situation generated significant uncertainty and threatened to jeopardize the foreign currency income of the British colony, which relies on fishing as its main source of income.
The fleet operating in Malvina waters is made up of 17 vessels jointly owned by companies from Vigo and the British colonial government . This year, the Vigo-based company Copemar , Hadassa Bay , was built at the Ría de Vigo shipyard to replace the Baffin Bay , which sank following a fire in the port of Bouzas. The Hadassa Bay is the largest trawler built in the last 40 years and has been designed to accommodate a crew of 65, 42 of whom are crew members, housed in cabins for just two people.
Fishing represents a vital economic pillar for the Malvinas: it contributes 58.5% of GDP and generates nearly $30 million annually in licenses for the local government, benefiting a settled population of just 3,662.
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