Squid Fishing Boom: High Seas Plunder & Ocean Impact

A large, largely unregulated foreign fishing fleet is descending on a stretch of the South Atlantic known as Mile 201, raising concerns about environmental damage and potential human rights abuses. The fleet, primarily comprised of vessels from China, Taiwan, and South Korea, is exploiting a regulatory vacuum to harvest squid at an unsustainable rate.

Unregulated Squid Fishing in the South Atlantic

In Buenos Aires, the Argentinian coast guard monitors the activity of giant industrial-fishing ships in real time. “Every year, for five or six months, the foreign fleet comes from across the Indian Ocean, from Asian countries, and from the North Atlantic,” says Cdr Mauricio López, of the monitoring department. “It’s creating a serious environmental problem.”

Hundreds of vessels – known as the distant-water fishing fleet – are operating in Mile 201, a largely ungoverned area of the high seas, to harvest its rich marine life. The fleet is so large it can be seen from space.

The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) has described the area as one of the largest unregulated squid fisheries in the world, warning that the scale of activities could destabilize the entire ecosystem. “With so many ships constantly fishing without any form of oversight, the squid’s short, one-year life cycle simply is not being respected,” says Lt Magalí Bobinac, a marine biologist with the Argentinian coast guard.

There are no internationally agreed catch limits for squid in the region, allowing distant-water fleets to take advantage of the regulatory vacuum. Steve Trent, founder of the EJF, describes the fishery as a “free for all” and warns that squid could disappear from the area due to “this mad fishing effort.”

The consequences extend beyond squid populations. Whales, dolphins, seals, sea birds, and commercially important fish species like hake and tuna all depend on squid as a food source. A collapse in the squid population could trigger a cascade of ecological disruption, impacting coastal communities and key markets such as Spain, experts warn.

“If this species is affected, the whole ecosystem is affected,” Bobinac says. “It is the food for other species. It has a huge impact on the ecosystem and biodiversity.” She also notes that “vulnerable marine ecosystems,” such as deep-sea corals, are at risk of physical damage and pollution.

According to the EJF, three-quarters of the squid jigging vessels operating on the high seas are from China, with fleets from Taiwan and South Korea also accounting for a significant share. Activity in Mile 201 has increased by 65% between 2019 and 2024, driven almost entirely by the Chinese fleet, which increased its activities by 85% in the same period, according to an investigation by the charity.

The lack of oversight has also enabled concerning practices. Interviews conducted by the EJF suggest widespread cruelty towards marine wildlife. Crew members reported the deliberate capture and killing of seals – sometimes in the hundreds – on over 40% of Chinese squid vessels and a fifth of Taiwanese vessels. Testimonies also detailed the hunting of marine megafauna for body parts, including seal teeth. The EJF shared photos and videos with the Guardian of seals hanging on hooks and penguins trapped on decks.

Lt Luciana De Santis, a lawyer for the coast guard, says: “Outside our exclusive economic zone [EEZ], we cannot do anything – we cannot board them, we cannot survey, nor inspect.” An EEZ extends up to 200 nautical miles from a nation’s coast, with the rules governed by that nation. The Argentinian coast guard says it has “total control” within this space, unlike the area just beyond it: Mile 201.

López says “a significant percentage of ships turn their identification systems off” when fishing in the area beyond the EEZ, also known as “going dark,” to evade detection.

The EJF’s investigation also uncovered serious human rights and labor abuses on the squid fleet. Workers described physical violence, including hitting or strangulation, wage deductions, intimidation, and debt bondage – a system that traps them at sea. Many reported working excessive hours with little rest.

Much of the squid caught under these conditions enters major global markets in the European Union, UK, and North America, the EJF warns, meaning consumers may be unknowingly buying seafood linked to animal cruelty, environmental destruction, and human rights abuse.

The charity is calling for a ban on imports linked to illegal or abusive fishing practices and a global transparency regime that makes it possible to see who is fishing where, when and how, by mandating an international charter to govern fishing beyond national waters.

“The Chinese distant-water fleet is the big beast in this,” says Trent. “Beijing must know this is happening, so why are they not acting? Without urgent action, we are heading for disaster.”

The Chinese embassies in Britain and Argentina did not respond to requests for comment.