No squid game: Scientists ink study your squid likely comes from unregulated waters

Focus

13 Mar 2023 12:45pm

picture for illustrative purposes - FILEPIC

KUALA LUMPUR - There has been growing concerns from scientists and policymakers alike, on the decline of global squid stocks, but little has been done to date to target squid fishing activities that are expanding into unregulated spaces, according to a new international study.

An assistant professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, Katherine Seto led the study, which was published in Science Advances on March 10.

According to a statement, the study explores the unregulated nature of global squid fisheries across three oceans over a three-year period, and how these fisheries continue to grow and shift locations beyond the jurisdiction of management bodies.

Using satellite imagery, vessel tracking and data monitoring, the study found that the fishing conducted by this globalised light-luring squid fishery was extensive, fishing between 149,000-251,000 vessel days annually, and that effort increased 68 per cent over the study period from 2017-2020.

"These squid fisheries are highly mobile, fishing multiple oceans within a given year. While some conservation and management measures are in place to regulate this type of fishing, our research found that actors may take advantage of these fragmented regulations to maximise resource extraction.

"To address this, we need to address the factors that promote the growth and expansion of fishing efforts, and increase data sharing and communication between management entities,” said Seto.

The study found that these squid fishing vessels fished largely (86 per cent) in unregulated areas, equating to 4.4 million total hours of fishing time between 2017-2020.

While unregulated fishing is not necessarily illegal, it presents challenges for fisheries sustainability and resource equity, and has been connected to questionable human rights and labour practices.

One major challenge has been the vessels freely fishing between regulated and unregulated spaces, fishing huge amounts of squid with little to no oversight or data reporting.

The study also revealed that fishing in unregulated areas has also steadily increased and seems to be preferred despite concerns over stock status.

The research was conducted through a partnership between Global Fishing Watch, the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security at the University of Wollongong, and the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency - BERNAMA