El Niño affected jumbo flying squid catches in Peru

Peru's Ministry of Production (Produce) reported that catches of jumbo flying squid  - also known as Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas), whose catch quota was set last June - were affected this year by a strong El Niño that lasted from February 2023 to March 2024.

According to the Peruvian Sea Institute (Imarpe), the climatic phenomenon caused the population of this species to disperse since last year's fall, which has affected the catch rates of the Peruvian artisanal fleet.

"Their spatial behavior (availability and accessibility) is subject to oceanographic variability and foraging, with 'El Niño' and 'La Niña' events being the main drivers of their dispersion, with the consequent adverse effect on extractive activities," explained Jesús Eloy Barrientos, Peruvian Vice-Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

Produce - which recalled that a similar situation already occurred in Peru during the El Niño events of 1997-1998 and 2015-2016, where the jumbo flying squid presented a similar behavior - is optimistic about the short-term prospects.

Vice Minister Barrientos detailed that jumbo flying squid is very abundant, but also quite variable in the Peruvian sea. "It is fast-growing, its main spawning is between spring and summer," he said. Specifically, its life cycle is between 12 to 18 months approximately and culminates after reproduction.

Regarding a greater availability of the resource, considering all of the above and according to Imarpe's estimates, the Produce's head of Fisheries and Aquaculture said that its recovery will occur progressively in the coming months.

Moreover, Jesús Eloy Barrientos also wanted to clarify that the decrease in the catches of jumbo flying squid has nothing to do with illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU fishing).

Regarding the possible impact of IUU fishing on the reduced availability of this resource, he recalled that the Director General of the Peruvian Coast Guard and Coast Guard (DICAPI), stated before the Commission of Production, Micro and Small Enterprises and Cooperatives of Peru's Congress that no illegal fishing by foreign flag vessels has been detected in the Peruvian sea.

Peru and the United States recently joined forces to fight illegal fishing. For nine days in May, instructors from the U.S. NOAA conducted a workshop to strengthen the capacities of Peruvian professionals involved in the prevention and elimination of IUU fishing.

Concerning El Niño consequences on Peruvian artisanal fishermen, it should also be recalled that, at the beginning of the year, Produce already initiated a series of coordination actions to be ready for possible contingencies caused by this climatic phenomenon.