The Global Squid Supply Chain Roundtable is a combination of two former SRs, one covering Asia-Pacific and the other covering South American squid fisheries. The combination took effect in March 2017 following a joint SR meeting at Seafood Expo North America in Boston.
Both SRs were initiated by European squid importers and buyers—along with North American importers and buyers for the Asia-Pacific region—who recognize that addressing many of the sustainability challenges found in the world’s squid fisheries will require a collaborative, precompetitive approach from industry stakeholders.
Early efforts focused on the Chinese mitre squid, Japanese flying squid, and Peruvian jumbo flying squid fisheries, as these were important fisheries to many of the initial SR members. Participating importers and buyers were able to engage and communicate to their Chinese and Peruvian domestic suppliers and national fishing authorities in both countries regarding the importance of sustainability to the global market.
While initial SR efforts were focused on promoting fishery improvement projects in these specific squid fisheries, some companies participated in SR meetings despite having no association with the fisheries. These companies hope to take lessons learned from this experience and apply them to other squid fisheries in the region once the SR has developed a first assessment of these fisheries (through FishSource profiles) and the SR’s efforts expand.
It is possible that existing supply chain leverage and interest may be able to influence more than 57 percent of global production. The key to reaching T75 is engaging Chinese and South Korean fisheries operating in the international waters off South America. The industry can accomplish this through demand from some markets already engaged in sustainability, engaging the markets where those products end up, as well as creating demand for sustainable products from new markets.
Fisheries and/or FIPs Covered:
At present, the roundtable focuses on a number of squid fisheries found worldwide. Please find an overview of all T75 relevant fisheries, including those currently not prioritized by the SR, here.
The following FIPs are supported and monitored:
Shantou-Taiwan Chinese common squid - jigging/single trawl FIP
Mexico Gulf of California giant squid jig FIP
Peruvian Jumbo Flying Squid (pre-FIP status)
East China Sea and Yellow Sea Japanese flying squid trawl prospective FIP
Improvement Needs:
Asia-Pacific
- Address data deficiency in areas of recruitment, landings data, fishing effort, bycatch, gear impacts, identifying spawning zones, and PET species interactions.
- Based on data collection, implement and enforce the regulation of fishing effort, as well as seasonal and fishing zone closures to protect spawning stocks.
- Strengthen enforcement of existing squid fishery regulations, including closed fishing areas and seasons in order to address IUU fishing.
- Work with domestic supply chains in producing countries to engage distant water squid fleets in high seas improvement efforts.
South America
- Develop fishery assessments for Patagonian squid (Loligo gahi) fisheries.
- Update fishery assessments on the jumbo flying squid (Dosidcus gigas) fisheries.
- Strengthen enforcement of existing national squid fishery regulations and EEZ waters control in order to minimize impacts at stock level of the fishing activity happening in international waters.
- Mobilize Argentine Shortfin (Illex argentinus) fishing countries to collectively establish RFMO-type management body for high seas fisheries.
- Strengthen regulatory and enforcement management of regional and international waters of Jumbo Flying squid fisheries at the South Pacific RFMO level.
Current Objectives: 
In general, the Global Squid Supply Chain Roundtable objectives focus on monitoring sustainability status and issues relating to the region’s squid fisheries, engaging supply chains and local producers in fishery improvement efforts, and monitoring the progress of current squid FIP efforts toward long-term sustainability of squid in domestic and international markets.
In South America, the SR has the following overall goals:
- Support the efforts of the Sociedad Nacional de Industrias (SNI) to set up a FIP for the Peruvian jumbo flying squid fishery.
- Develop and update squid fisheries assessments as a first step to identify areas in need of improvement in South American squid fisheries.
- Support the efforts of Committee for the Sustainable Management of the Southern Pacific Jumbo Flying Squid (CALAMSUR) to improve management and enforcement at the RFMO level.
- Engage Chinese and South Korean fleets operating in international waters in improvement efforts for Argentine shortfin & jumbo flying squid.
In particular, objectives through the end of 2018 are as follows:
- Support the establishment a FIP in the Argentine Shortfin squid within Argentinian EEZ waters.
- Support the efforts of Chinese (Shantou) Mitre Squid FIP and secure participation and funding from relevant SR participants and supply chains.
- Ensure all squid FIPs under the SR are maintaining a minimum “B” (Good) SFP FIP Progress Rating.
- Support the efforts of the East China Sea and Yellow Sea Japanese flying squid trawl prospective FIP.
- Ensure the Peruvian jumbo flying squid fishery FIP work plan and reporting publically available on Fisheryprogress.org.
- Encourage and support IMARPE’s efforts to develop a stock assessment model that is applicable in assessing stock status of all Jumbo Flying squid fisheries under South Pacific RFMO influence.
- Fully develop FishSource profiles for Patagonian squid (Loligo gahi) and Indian squid (Loligo duvauceli) fisheries and evaluate improvement needs for those fisheries.
Action Recommendations for Suppliers:
- Work with supply chains to initiate FIPs in fisheries where improvements are needed.
- When sourcing from squid fisheries that are managed under seasonal closures, SR participants should ensure suppliers implement no-purchase policies during fishing moratoriums.
- Exported squid products from the region are often sourced from a mix of various squid fisheries, so importers and buyers should ensure that their suppliers can identify the individual source fisheries.
- Reach out to other supply chain companies to encourage their participation and engagement on the SR.
- Publically support the setting up of a FIP on the Peruvian jumbo flying squid fishery and work with Peruvian national industry to encourage the formation of the FIP.
- Publicly support IMARPE’s effort to develop a stock assessment methodology that is applicable for all Jumbo Flying squid fisheries within South Pacific RFMO.
- Publicly support establishing a Shortfin Squid FIP in the Argentinian EEZ waters.
- Promote and sponsor the update and development of squid fisheries assessments.
- Support efforts such as the US East Coast squid fishery’s MSC certification process.
Progress Update
The SR progress update can be found here.
Quarterly Global Squid SR Update
This briefing provides an update on progress, activities and developments in the four areas of interest to SRs for the period of April to June 2018.
1. Improvements in SR T75 Priority Fisheries
Peru Jumbo Flying Squid:
The hired consultant has successfully uploaded all required info into Fisheryprogress.org. Still awaiting to get the FP approval and to be publicly announced.
Further Support needed: Support and attend 1st FIP Stakeholder meeting to review the pre-assessment and proposed workplan.
Chile Jumbo Flying Squid:
Chilean artisanal fishermen representatives attended a field trip visit to Galicia and visited Congalsa, where the relevance of the work in sustainability was highlighted from the market perspective and interest in improvements via MSC Certification or a FIP was confirmed.
Artisanal Chilean JFS fishermen have now: 1) better understanding of the co-managed systems used in Galicia that have shown to be compatible with MSC certification, 2) clear examples of the content of a management plan, 3) understanding of different roles by the stakeholders involved in the management of artisanal fisheries in Galicia (Fishermen, Fishermen Guilds, Fishery Technicians working for Fishermen Guilds, representatives of the management authorities at local and regional level...) as well as the legal process for the approval of the yearly management plans for small scale fisheries.
Further Support needed: Confirm your interest in improvements to your supply chain.
Argentina, Argentine Shortfin Squid:
No progress made in Q2
Related media coverage flags that international catch on the stock is going down:
Further Support needed:SR Participants to confirm their interest in improvements to their Argentinian supply chain and support the FIP launch.
China, Japanese Flying Squid:
East China Sea and Yellow Sea Japanese Flying Squid FIP (Sea Farms/PanaPesca USA/CAPPMA/Ocean Outcomes) - This project can now be found publicly as a prospective FIP on fisheryprogress.org.
Further Support needed: Contact Songlin Wang for more information on the FIP and flag your support.
Indian Squid:
Trawl-caught squid from Kollam in India has been identified as targeted fishery for securing MSC certification: The sustainability of Indian squid is of interest to some SR members.
Further Support needed: Contact SFP if your company is interested in seeing an Indian squid improvement effort developed.
Mexico Jumbo Flying Squid:
Mexican basic JFS FIP is publicly available in Fishery Progress
Further Support needed: Monitor and support progress of the FIP, where needed.
Please find an overview of all T75 relevant fisheries, including those currently not prioritized by the SR, here.
2. Support to established FIPs and improvement efforts
Please find an overview of all existing FIPs and improvement efforts, their current progress rating and status here.
US east coast squid fishery achieves MSC certification - The US east coast loligo squid fishery became the world’s first squid fishery to be MSC certified. Lund’s Fisheries, a current SR participant, is one of the leads on this effort, and part of the current client group:
Further Support needed: currently none; All existing FIPs are rated A-C
3. Support Mitigation of Fishery/FIP Overarching Sustainability issues
CALAMASUR supports Target 75 initiative
Further Support needed: currently none
4. Expansion of the SR
SFP is in process to identify buyers of squid from Indonesia, Thailand, and of South Korea and Chinese fisheries (in own EEZ and overseas).
Further Support needed: Promote the SR to fellow industry and invite participation and share your supply chain knowledge with SFP.