The RFMO-PS published the first management and conservation measure for the giant squid

The RFMO-PS published the first management and conservation measure for the giant squid in international waters.

Between February 10 and 18, 2020, in the Republic of Vanuatu, the 8th Annual Meeting of the South Pacific Regional Organization for Fisheries Management (RFMO-PS) was held. The Committee for the Sustainable Management of the Giant Squid (CALAMASUR) participated in this meeting, represented by its president Alfonso Miranda Eyzaguirre, who attended in order to express the concerns and proposals for the sustainable management of this species in our region. CALAMASUR is an institution that represents productive actors, from fishermen to exporters, from Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru that participate in the use of this resource.

The giant squid fishery is one of the most important economic activities worldwide and ensuring its sustainability is a task that all countries should prioritize. For this reason, the president of CALAMASUR expressed, in the plenary session of the meeting, that he celebrated the unanimous approval of the first management and conservation measure (CMM) that the RFMO-PS publishes specifically for the giant squid. Likewise, he greeted the European Union for proposing this initiative that addresses, to a large extent, aspects that CALAMASUR formally asked to be prioritized during the 2019 meeting of the Scientific Committee, which was held in the city of Havana, Cuba. The European Union itself recognized the important support that CALAMASUR has been giving to the sustainability of the resource.

The approved measure will mark many of the guidelines that will govern to advance to a management stage of the fishery. It should be mentioned that this will come into effect from January 2021, which is set not only as the deadline for its implementation, but also to conclude the delayed formalization process.

Among the main challenges facing the Peruvian fleet we have, among others, the installation of satellite equipment. This will be an arduous task, on which, however, progress has already been made. According to a recent report from the Global Fishing Watch platform, about 400 Peruvian artisanal vessels currently use satellite systems and, at the end of March, there will be 700. Other important issues in this regulation are related to the reporting of catches per vessel, the design of a biological monitoring system that allows the development of key investigations and the inclusion of Peruvian artisanal vessels in the registry of vessels that operate in international waters under the control of the RFMO-PS.

It is important to emphasize that the eyes of the international community will be vigilant to the progress of Peru. Therefore, it is necessary to support the government and the artisanal fishing community to respond assertively to this challenge.

Finally, when asked about the next steps for his organization, Alfonso Miranda stated: “CALAMASUR remains committed to carrying out hard work to transmit the agreements and commitments that were made in these days of intense work in Vanuatu so that, from In this way, all the actors involved in the giant squid fishery are participants and vigilants in the implementation of the new measures to advance towards the sustainability of this resource.