The quantity of Argentinean squid landings increased by 99% year-on-year! In just two months, it exceeded 110,000 tons, with a single-day production peak reaching 47 tons.

From the perspective of the fleet structure, the squid pot fleet (potera) contributed 96,132 tons, an increase of 102% year-on-year; the trawl fleet contributed 16,500 tons, with frozen trawls accounting for the absolute majority, reaching 15,354 tons, an increase of 87%. The overall structure shows that the concentration of resources and the improvement in operational efficiency in this season are the core factors for the rapid expansion of production. The cephalopod project team of the National Institute of Fisheries Research and Development of Argentina (INIDEP) conducted a systematic analysis of the fishing performance from January 2 to February 18 (the first to seventh weeks of the fishing season) in the technical report 05/26. The data shows that from the second to the sixth week, when the entire fleet was authorized to operate south of 44 degrees south latitude and concentrated in the summer spawning group (SDV) distribution area, the average daily catch per vessel exceeded 37 tons per week. The fourth week reached a peak, with an average of 47 tons per day, indicating that the resource density was at a high level. In the seventh week, the average CPUE (catch per unit effort) fell to 29 tons/day, although researchers noted that the data had not been fully compiled and the final value might be revised. Overall, the production efficiency in the first half of this season was significantly better than in previous years. In terms of operating areas, after January 8, the focus of the fleet's activities shifted to the central continental shelf between 44°S to 48°S latitude and 62°W to 64°W longitude. Rectangular sea area 4563 became the core high-yield area, accounting for 43.6% of the total catch, with a cumulative 35,262 tons, an average of 43 tons per day; followed by area 4663 (16,433 tons, accounting for 20.3%) and area 4562 (11,935 tons, accounting for 14.8%). The relatively concentrated distribution of fishing grounds has improved the overall operational efficiency of the fleet. Biological monitoring results further confirm the resource status. Ten onboard observers collected 184 samples, totaling 27,449 individual specimens, from 13 voyages. The body length of the samples ranged from 10 to 31 centimeters, with an average weight of 184 grams, and 83% of the individuals were in the mature or reproductive stage, clearly belonging to the summer spawning group. This means that the current target of the fishing is the concentrated spawning resource group, and the resource density has risen significantly in stages. It is worth noting that the dynamics of foreign fleets were also active. From the first to the seventh week, about 230 foreign squid fishing vessels operated in the waters outside the Argentine exclusive economic zone, mainly concentrated in sea area 4560, with an estimated catch of 18,813 tons. From the fifth week onwards, up to 31 foreign vessels appeared in the disputed exclusive economic zone with the United Kingdom, mainly in sea area 4961; the number decreased significantly in the sixth week, and increased again to about 90 vessels in the seventh week, concentrated in sea area 5062, with an estimated catch of about 1,200 tons. The activeness of the peripheral waters reflects that the squid resources in the entire southwest Atlantic are at a high level. A large amount of resources quickly translated into port throughput. Madryn Port ranked first with 53,995 tons, an increase of 96% year-on-year; Deseado Port 35,025 tons, an increase of 74%; and Mar del Plata Port 20,413 tons, with an increase of 154%. The main ports have all entered a high-load operation state, with loading and unloading, cold chain, and downstream processing links simultaneously heating up.