Hundreds of distant-water vessels are plundering squid populations in the Southwest Atlantic, driving a keystone species towards collapse and exposing workers to abuses, according to a new investigation and film from the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).
Delivering its report “Bright Lights, Dim Prospects: The urgent need to address unregulated squid fishing in the Southwest Atlantic to avert a looming environmental crisis”, EJF explained that each year, as Argentine shortfin squid migrate out of Argentina’s waters, fleets of industrial jigging vessels descend on the high seas just beyond the national boundary – an area known as Mile 201. The NGOs research reveals that between 2019 and 2024, fishing hours by Chinese squid vessels in the region increased by 85%, while landings showed “alarming signs of decline”.
It highlighted that Argentine shortfin squid is a cornerstone of the Southwest Atlantic ecosystem and economy, being one of the few species occupying an intermediate position in the regional food chain – sustaining dolphins, seals, whales, seabirds and commercially valuable fish such as hake and tuna, while generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for Argentina. But with next to no regulations in place, the exploitation of this fishery is almost completely uncontrolled, putting the entire ecosystem at risk, EJF said, advising that it provided 12.2% of the global squid catch in 2023, and that fishing pressure in the unregulated high seas fishery is over four times greater than within the adjacent regulated Argentine waters.
“Without urgent action, we are heading for disaster,” EJF CEO and Founder Steve Trent said in a statement. “Overfishing and climate breakdown are placing enormous pressure on this keystone species, while those responsible - primarily from China - commit shocking human rights abuses with impunity. A collapse could happen extremely rapidly, triggering cascading impacts on marine life. Governments must act now to bring regulation, transparency and accountability to this lawless fishery.”
With Argentine shortfin squid living for just a year and only reproducing once, it is “inherently highly sensitive” to environmental shifts, Trent told WF.
“Scientists at INIDEP warn that just one bad year of poor ocean conditions, coupled with heavy fishing, could wipe out an entire generation, even immediately after a highly productive year.”
He also explained that because catches on the high seas go unreported, no one knows how close the squid population is to collapse.
“A precautionary approach to avoid the risk of a tipping point is the only logical choice; as the Northern shortfin squid fishery collapse showed, once squid populations collapse, they may not recover.”
Labour abuse
EJF’s investigation also details extensive human rights abuses aboard squid vessels, with interviews with Indonesian and Filipino crew revealing violence, intimidation, excessive working hours and wage deductions. It found almost two thirds of Chinese squid vessels were linked to deaths or physical assaults on board. Crew also reported illegal and cruel targeting of vulnerable wildlife, including shark finning and the deliberate killing of marine mammals such as South American fur seals.
EJF argues that the lack of oversight means products linked to these abuses may be entering major markets, including the EU, North America and the UK. It is therefore calling for urgent regional and international collaboration to:
- Establish science-based catch limits and monitoring for squid in the Southwest Atlantic
- End the use of forced labour and ensure full traceability of seafood supply chains
- Strengthen port controls and ban imports linked to illegal or abusive fishing practices
“The first and most essential step for governments is to endorse and swiftly implement the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency,” Trent said. “Without transparency, we are completely blind - governments cannot manage what they cannot see. They must also ratify and enforce International Labour Organization conventions on forced labour and safe work in fishing. These conventions are not ‘nice to have’; they require a basic standard of care, dignity and safety at work which everyone deserves, wherever they work.”
He continued: “Buyers should demand these standards from suppliers, or risk being complicit in shocking human rights violations. They should go beyond their legal requirements and properly audit their supply chains, dropping any companies which cannot prove their seafood is caught legally, ethically and sustainably.”
According to Trent, as well as the Charter, market states should:
- Mandate due diligence aligned with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
- Reinforce port controls and blacklist vessels tied to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing
- Use market leverage, through forums like the Global Squid Supply Chain Roundtable, to push for regional cooperation to manage this fishery
- Improve their checks on imported seafood to apply heightened scrutiny to catches from unregulated squid fisheries, in light of the compelling evidence that they are hotspots for violent abuse, unexplained deaths, animal cruelty and imminent risk of ecological collapse
“The corporate sector, too, has a clear responsibility to take all reasonable steps to ensure illegally caught fish and products tainted by human rights abuses do not enter its supply chains - they must do their due diligence and end the pretence that it is not possible to take action.”
EJF is currently conducting research and investigations into these abuses, and which stakeholders are complicit. It will make this information publicly available once investigations are concluded, he said.
