“They hit me because I made a mistake.” “I thought I would die that day … none of the officers [del capitán] He stopped him. I kicked me continuously. My fifth or sixth rib was fractured. “” Every day, we lived surrounded by violence. “” There was no wifi. I never communicated with my family during the fishing operation. I could do it when the ship docked, and it took a year. ”
These are some of the testimonies of potter ship crew (those dedicated to squid fishing) that operate in the southwest Atlantic collected by the organization between 2019 and 2024. The material is part of one that documented labor abuses, human and animal rights violations, as well as ecological risks linked to the non -regulated fishing of Argentine squid on the high seas out of the exclusive economic zone (Zee) Argentina. In addition, the report calls Spain, second major importer of squid and sepia in the world and the main point of entry into the European Union, to boost transparency and sustainability in the world trade of this product.
In the ZEE (the maritime area that extends to 200 nautical miles from the coast) operates about 70 ships and the fishing of this species, also called Pota Argentina, is controlled. However, out of there, the situation changes drastically.
In the area, considered one of the largest unregulated fisheries in the world, they annually slaughter more than 343 potter ships, mostly from China, South Korea and Taiwan, which operate without regional and international regulation. It is estimated that 91% of the fishing effort in this area is made by Chinese ships and the lights of this unregulated fleet are seen from space.
“[La milla 201] It is out of our jurisdiction. There is a lack of governance in this space. There they slaughter high -altitude fishing fleets without any control, regulation, management measures, or capture restrictions. Its objective is to capture the migratory species of our ZEE, ”explains Captain Sergio Almada, of the Argentine Naval Prefecture (PNA).
The investigation includes 169 interviews with Indonesian and Filipino crew that worked in 110 squid potters between 2019 and 2024, which represents 20.4% of the fleet that operates in Mile 201. Of these, 56 were in Chinese flag ships; 57, South Korean and 56, on ships with Taiwan flag.
The report, which is also based on the monitoring in the Sea of Flees together with the Argentine Coast Guard, interviews with scientists and the PNA, official data and the analysis of satellite images, evidences a “panorama of modern slavery”, according to Jesús Urios, responsible for Oceanic Policies of EJF, in an interview with El País.
Testimonies of physical violence, abuse, intimidation, excessive working hours, wages or debt servitude, especially in Chinese flag vessels are collected. 63% of Chinese potter ships identified through interviews were associated with incidents of physical violence or death of workers on board.
The report mentions cases such as the death of five crew on four Chinese ships, who died due to strange circumstances or due to negligence and lack of medical care. Urios tells that a crew that lost his life, was not practiced autopsy, was in a freezer of the ship weeks and ended up throwing him overboard. The EJF expert also refers to the lack of hygiene and deplorable working conditions on ships: “For example, most of the crew members [entrevistados] They are Muslim Indonesians and they were only pork. EITHER [detallan] The difficult access to drinking water, only had filtered from the sea. ”
EJF warns that it follows a growing and worrying trend. Between 2019 and 2024, fishing hours increased by 65%. This increase, they explain, is almost entirely attributable to the fleet of Chinese poters, which saw an 85% increase in the effort during that period.
The overweight and the climatic crisis are adding enormous pressure on this key species, while those responsible, mostly from China, commit human rights abuses with impunity
Steve Trent, executive director and founder of the EJF
The squid is a species with a short life cycle, sensitive to environmental conditions and overweight, URIS adds. Therefore, the sum of both factors could lead to a collapse of the population that would have consequences for the marine ecosystem, but also for other fisheries, such as Argentine hake, since the fish feeds on squid.
“Without urgent measures, we approach the disaster,” said Steve Trent, executive director and founder of the EJF. “The overweight and the climatic crisis are adding enormous pressure on this key species, while those responsible, mostly from China, commit human rights abuses with impunity.”
Although in June the Argentine government the adjoining areas of Uruguay and Argentina for the management of fishery resources, URIS points out that this regulation does not cover the highest concentration of ships of the study, which occurs in the area located further south.
The crew also reported impacts on marine fauna, such as the and capture of seals, marine lions and morsas with harpoon. In addition, other illegal practices were recorded such as the concealment of ship identification numbers.
The role of Spain
The text highlights the key role of Spain within the global trade in squid and sepia, as the second major importer of these products and its main point of entry into the European Union.
Between 2019 and 2023, the Argentine squid represented 13.3% of squid imports in Spain, with about 20,000 tons and an annual value of 86 million euros. These came above all from China (41%), Argentina (39%), Taiwan (12%) and the Falkland Islands (7%). The EJF investigation indicates that 42.9% of this squid comes from non -regulated fisheries on the high seas, mostly ships with Chinese flag.
And according to a provisional estimate of the EU, between 2019 and 2023 it is estimated that 17% of the total capture of Argentine squid in China was exported to the European Union, with Spain as a 10% destination.
It is necessary to reinforce import controls to prevent this type of merchandise from ending up on our dish, because they are stained with blood
Jesús Urios, head of Oceanic Policies of EJF
After investigating the commercial data, EJF estimates that between 2019 and 2024, at least 47 Spanish importers acquired processor squid products in China that were property or were hired by five Chinese fishing companies that fish in the Southwest Atlantic, involved in alleged human rights abuses such as physical violence and deaths on board, damage to marine fauna and illegal fishing, not declared and not regulated. “Only these five companies exported about 10,825 tons of Argentine pota to Spain during this period, equivalent to about 9% of the imports of Argentina’s pota of Spain,” they explain.
The research recommends different measures to prevent Spanish supply chains from being exposed to the environmental and social risks that these unregulated products bring, as well as unfair competition in front of Spanish flag ships, which operate under national and EU standards.
“We are the second largest importer of squid and sepia in the world. We have a role to play in this. We have fishing interests in the area. It is necessary to reinforce import controls to prevent this type of merchandise from ending up on our dish, because they are stained with blood,” there are urios. EJF calls to increase inspections, verifications and investigations of squid shipments in cases where there are high risks of illegal fishing or forced labor, and to guarantee harmonized supervision throughout the EU to avoid the control shoppingthe practice of diverting products through ports or countries with weaker controls.
It also recommends strengthening international cooperation, improving coordination between Spanish authorities and ships with a national flag that operate in the southwest Atlantic, and advancing in transparency and accountability of squid fishing activities through initiatives such as the World Charter for Transparency of Fishing.
