Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) Peruvian Jumbo Squid
Jumbo squid FIP makes progress on achieving sustainable fishery certification in 2023
In 2014, Congalsa became the first company in the frozen food sector in Spain to join the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) initiative. In 2016, together with this NGO, decided to mobilize other players in the industry to launch the Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) for the giant squid fishery from Peru (Dosidicus gigas).
The aim of this project, involving fishermen, traders and administrations, is to evaluate the state of the fishery and draw up an action plan to ensure its sustainability. It is a global challenge, both from the environmental and social point of view, specially for the fleet that depends on it, mostly artisanal fishermen. The final goal of this FIP is to get the Jumbo Squid to achieve sustainable fishing certification.
FIP aims to identify the weaknesses of the fishery and draw up an action plan that ensures its sustainability.
One third of the goal, achieved
Two years after the start of the work, the Jumbo Squid FIP has progressed from basic FIP to comprehensive (according to Fisherie Progress categorization). This means that the entities involved in the FIP have achieved a 36% development of their objectives.
The Giant Squid from Peru is the second largest fishery in the country and the most important for artisanal fishing. More than 11,000 fishermen and 3,000 vessels participate in the sourcing of this species. It is a very selective fishery, since it avoids accidental catches because the specimens are caught one by one, guaranteeing no environmental impact on marine resources.
Dosidicus Gigas is one of the largest cephalopods and the most abundant species in the world. Its abundance and distribution is especially sensitive to environmental changes and food availability. In Peru, the fishery is almost exclusively operated by an artisanal fleet that must have a fishing permit to operate in Peruvian waters.
The goals for the Pacific Jumbo Squid
The objective of all participants in the Jumbo Squid FIP is to develop the fishery towards a state of greater sustainability, focusing on achieveing certification before the end of 2023. The defined goals are:
- Improve data availability regarding stock assessment methodology and the implementation of data colletion systems on vessels
- Ensure the long-term sustainability of the communities that depend on this fishery.
- Develop a pre-audit in reference to the MSC standard, establishing a public reporting system and designing an action plan towards certification.
Members of the FIP, among them Congalsa, have recently achieved this last objective: drawing up an action plan to achieve the objective of MSC certification or other management schemes standardized by GSSI.
The project in short
FLYING JUMBO SQUID
MORE THAN 11.000 FISHERMEN
A VERY SELECTIVE FISHERY
