The large freezer vessels based in the Galician ports of Vigo and Marín finalized details during the month of June and this past week they departed for the Malvina Islands for a new illegal squid fishing campaign (Loligo), where shipowners have high expectations despite the biological uncertainty of the resource, given that in recent years the state of the biomass has been irregular and worrying for the partners of the British usurpers.
It is a fleet of sixteen vessels and almost 1,000 crew members , which departed this past week with enough provisions for a voyage of up to four months, with the hope of not having to return earlier than planned.
The start of the campaign comes amid a context marked by declining catches in the waters bordering the Malvina Islands, as well as in the entire border zone outside mile 200 of the EAZE. In the first months of the year, catches of barely 20 tons per day were achieved, a figure well below the 45 tons achieved in previous seasons and far from the 75 tons achieved in the best times.
However, the shipping companies are cautiously optimistic and are banking on a gradual recovery in catches this new season. This is primarily because the second season of 2024 was closed, while the first season of 2025 ended 10 days earlier, with a 21% decrease in catches compared to the previous year.
At this time, the actual biomass status in the fishing area—located around the Malvina Islands fishing ground—remains uncertain. The highly variable nature of the squid population makes it impossible to make an accurate assessment until the vessels begin their first surveys.
Some marine biologists and marine science experts attribute the persistent declines in catches to a sustained increase in the average ocean temperature in the region, higher than the average recorded in previous years. Others, with a more conservationist perspective, suggest that this could be a direct consequence of overfishing in these latitudes, driven by the intense activity of large factory vessels operating in the area with high levels of fishing effort. However, a disturbing phenomenon has added to this complex scenario: for several years now, the traditional migration of cephalopods from Argentine territorial waters, from the continental shelf of Tierra del Fuego and southern Santa Cruz, has abruptly ceased. Some analysts speculate that the constant seismic bombardment associated with hydrocarbon and gas exploration in the basin of Tierra del Fuego and Santa Cruz could have caused significant damage to the larval and juvenile stages of the squid, seriously affecting its biological cycle. However, all these hypotheses remain in the realm of speculation, given that there is—to date—no conclusive scientific evidence to clarify the true cause of the phenomenon. The only indisputable fact is the current absence of that squid stock, which, until recently, was a key resource for the region.
The Prión, Pescapuerta's flagship, has already set sail for the fishing grounds and will be the first to collect data in the area , although in the central Atlantic the vessels Monte Lourido, Hadassa Bay, Monteferro, Argos Cies, Argos Berbes, Argos Pereira, New Polar, Sil, Robin M Lee, Beagle F1 and Venturer are heading towards the Malvinas, the latter being somewhat further behind.
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