EJF denounces slavery in the fishing of Atlantic southern squid imported by Spain

The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) has denounced "modern slavery" and human rights violations on Asian squid fishing vessels operating in unregulated waters of the southeastern Atlantic, near Argentina. The NGO has launched the campaign "The hidden face of squid imported by Spain" and an investigation revealing "serious environmental and human rights concerns" in the unregulated squid fishery in the so-called "Mile 201," an area close to Argentina's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). For the study, EJF researchers embarked in February and March 2025 on an expedition with the Argentine Coast Guard; they interviewed Argentine government scientists, members of the Argentine Naval Prefecture specialized in this fishery, and representatives of the Spanish industry. They also interviewed Indonesian and Filipino crew members who had worked on these vessels operating in the area. In "Mile 201," about 400 "poteros" fishing vessels—flagged in China, Taiwan, and Korea—operate without ...