Peru's new Minister of Production, César Manuel Quispe Luján, talking with experts aboard the BIC Humboldt cruise, which a few days ago began a 30-day expedition to learn about and ensure the sustainability of jumbo flying squid.
Photo: Produce.
Initially scheduled for the 25th, Peru's Ministry of Production (Produce) announced yesterday that the resumption of jumbo flying squid fishing will be brought forward by four days and begin this Friday, November 21. The decision was made following preliminary results from 'Operation Jumbo Flying Squid IV' carried out by the Peruvian Sea Institute (Imarpe) in the north-central zone.
The decision was announced by Peru's Viceminister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Jesús Barrientos, in San José de Lambayeque, during a working meeting with unions, associations, cooperatives, and artisanal fishermen engaged in the extraction of jumbo flying squid from Piura and Lambayeque.
There, Barrientos specified that the reactivation is based on scientific evidence provided by Imarpe, whose constant monitoring work enables balancing the availability of the Dosidicus gigas resource with fishing efforts to ensure sustainability.
For its part, Produce's announcement on the reopening of the jumbo flying squid fishery described the measure as an "example of adaptive management."
During the meeting with artisanal fishermen—which, in addition to Viceminister Barrientos, was also attended by the Executive President and the Scientific Manager of the Imarpe—the current status of the jumbo flying squid was discussed, along with the results of scientific operations carried out by the Peruvian Sea Institute.
In addition to the aforementioned 'Operation Jumbo Flying Squid IV' in the north-central zone, which, as reported by WeAreAquaculture, took place between November 3 and 7, 2025, with the participation of twenty-five artisanal fishing vessels, the results shared by Produce and Imarpe at the meeting also included those from the BIC Humboldt cruise that began a few days ago and will travel through the southern Peruvian sea for 30 days to learn about and ensure the sustainability of jumbo flying squid.
The working meeting was held within the framework of fulfilling the commitments made to fishermen in early October when the Peruvian government ended the jumbo flying squid crisis. In addition to ongoing dialogue, the parties agreed to increase the catch quota, authorize 'Operation Jumbo Flying Squid IV', and ratify the permanent monitoring of foreign vessels to prevent illegal fishing within 200 miles of Peruvian waters.
During the meeting, the Peruvian Viceminister of Fisheries and Aquaculture also recalled that, following last year's bad season in which only 180,000 tons were caught, so far in 2025, Peru has already caught more than 620,000 tons, thanks to the natural recovery of the resource and joint efforts with the artisanal fleet.
Peru's Viceminister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Jesús Barrientos, during this week's meeting with artisanal fishermen in San José de Lambayeque.
"Jumbo flying squid fishery provides direct employment to 40,000 fishermen and indirectly to more than 300,000 people. That is why we act responsibly," said Jesús Barrientos. "Thanks to scientific information and the commitment of fishermen, on November 21, we will resume fishing activity with a provisional quota based on solid technical support," he noted.
"Our sea is one of the most productive on the planet," continued the Peruvian Viceminister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. "We need to follow scientific recommendations to end the year well and define the fishing regulations for 2026," he said.
The jumbo flying squid is not only a source of direct and indirect employment, but, as Produce pointed out in its report, it is also the main resource for direct human consumption - what means food security- in the country, as well as a source of foreign exchange, since a large part of the catch is exported, as Viceminister Barrientos recalled at the roundtable discussion held during the crisis at the end of September.
"We are in constant dialogue, not only with fishermen, but also with shipowners, marketers, and the industrial plants that process this resource, because 90% of it is exported," Jesús Barrientos stated then.
A few days later, during the Conxemar 2025 trade fair in Vigo, Spain, international buyers of jumbo flying squid called for coordination in the fishing of this species in the Pacific, reminding producing countries that they expect greater traceability, compliance, and environmental and social responsibility throughout the supply chain.
The Viceminister Barrientos took advantage of this week's working meeting with artisanal fishermen to stress the importance of maintaining order, formality, and good practices throughout the entire value chain, reiterating that fishermen must comply with the regulations issued by the maritime authority, use their fishing gear properly—as stipulated in the regulation approved in March of this year—and ensure product quality.