A report from the Environmental Justice Foundation warned that more than 500 Chinese vessels operate on the high seas in the area regulated by the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization. The fleet is concentrated at the edge of the Exclusive Economic Zone of Chile.
The report, titled “Invisible and Impune: The Growing Threat of China’s Squid Fleet in the South Pacific”, indicates that the pressure is exerted on the jumbo squid, scientifically known as Dosidicus gigas. Consequently, there is growing concern about the sustainability of the resource.
Additionally, the massive foreign presence coincides with complaints from artisanal fishermen in northern Chile. In October 2025, they warned about dozens of ships off Iquique and demanded greater coordination with Peru and Ecuador.
Chile as a “port of least resistance”
The report argues that Chile has become a strategic point for these vessels. While in 2025 no Chinese squid vessels entered Peruvian ports due to stricter inspections, in Chile, port calls increased from less than 10 in 2024 to about 180 last year.
This contrast sparked a debate about port control standards and inspection capacity. It also raised questions about the country’s role in the logistics chain of the foreign fleet.
Therefore, the scenario is not only environmental but also geopolitical. The 201-mile mark becomes a key space where commercial interests, marine conservation, and economic sovereignty intersect.
Law 21.134 at the center of the conflict
The debate was reignited around Law 21.134, enacted in August 2019. The law established that jumbo squid can only be caught with jigs or hand lines, prohibiting methods such as trawling and purse seining.
From the industrial sector grouped in the Association of Fishing Industrialists of Bío Bío, the law is questioned for its economic impact. According to their figures, since 2019, nearly 800 thousand tons have gone uncaptured, with million-dollar losses and plant closures in Talcahuano, Coronel, and Lota.
In contrast, the National Council for the Defense of Fishing Heritage defends the regulation as a democratizing advance. They argue that reversing it would mean concentrating the resource back into the hands of a few actors.
The fishing of Chinese vessels and its impacts
The Chinese squid fleet primarily operates with powerful lighting systems to attract schools of fish in international waters. Although they operate outside the 200-mile limit, their extractive intensity can affect migratory populations like the jumbo squid.
Additionally, environmental organizations have warned of overexploitation risks and incidental capture of other species. This is compounded by international complaints about labor conditions in some distant water fleets.
In this context, Chile faces a strategic dilemma. As foreign pressure grows at the maritime border, the challenge is to strengthen inspection, promote national technological investment, and ensure that resource exploitation is ecologically sustainable and socially just.
