U.S. Leads the Way to Strengthen Monitoring and Control of Fishing in the South Pacific

At the 14th Meeting of the South Pacific Regional Fishery Management Organisation (SPRFMO) , the United States took action to protect American consumers and the U.S. fishing industry. We advanced sustainable management and ensured compliance in fisheries that export fish to the United States, which is a priority for this Administration and NOAA.

Squid Management

The meeting was held February 24-March 6, 2026 in Panama City, Panama. The United States led the effort to control effort in the jumbo flying squid fishery through adoption of a conservation and management measure. It included a U.S.-proposed 15 percent reduction in the number and size of the vessels allowed to participate in the fishery. The high seas squid fishery in the SPRFMO Convention Area has been the subject of significant allegations of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and uncontrolled expansion. There are also concerns about labor abuses, particularly onboard Chinese-flagged vessels. The Chinese squid jigging fleet is the largest in the Convention Area, with more that 57 percent of the authorized squid jigging vessels flagged to China.

"The work of this Commission is critical to addressing the widespread concerns about IUU fishing in the squid fishery off the west coast of South America, and the United States has been leading the charge to advance these efforts," noted Eugenio Piñiero-Soler, NOAA Assistant Administrator. From 2022-2024, the United States imported almost 40.5 billion kilograms of squid, valued at more than $215 billion, from China alone.

The characteristics of the jumbo flying squid fishery and limited available scientific data have so far prevented development of a stock assessment and resulting catch limit. Lower total catches and catch per unit of effort in 2024 generated concerns with the sustainability of the stock. Greater management of the squid fishery was a key focus of the meeting, with several members submitting 10 proposals to address these concerns. The United States, which chaired a Working Group on squid, led the organization towards adoption of a final measure that was agreed upon by consensus. "Reducing fishing effort in the jumbo flying squid fishery is an important step towards more robust management of this fishery. This was a top priority for the United States, and the measure that was adopted lays out a process for ensuring that SPRFMO has science-based management advice to guide its decision-making next year," explained Alexa Cole, Director of NOAA Fisheries' Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce, and the head of the U.S. delegation. In addition to the fishing effort reduction, the adopted measure includes a number of provisions aimed at increasing the amount of data available to the SPRFMO Scientific Committee . It directs the Committee to provide the Organisation with management advice to enable further action at the annual meeting in 2027.

SPRFMO also adopted a proposal submitted by the European Union to strengthen the existing port inspection scheme and better align it with obligations under the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Determ and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing . Most Members of the SPRFMO, including the United States, are already party to the Agreement, so this proposal will streamline and facilitate implementation. The EU's proposal also sought to increase the required inspection rate for foreign fishing vessels entering Members' ports carrying SPRFMO species from 5 percent to 50 percent. Most Members were supportive of that improvement, but China blocked consensus on this element of the proposal.

Electronic Monitoring

The United States also led a two-year process to develop minimum standards for Electronic Monitoring used to fulfill SPRFMO data collection requirements. Colin Brinkman, U.S. Department of State, led this effort which was successfully concluded at the meeting. The Commission adopted a first-of-its-kind measure establishing minimum standards and an accreditation process for domestic electronic monitoring programs in the jumbo flying squid fishery. The Commission resoundingly welcomed this important milestone and expressed gratitude for U.S. leadership. Improved data collection in this fishery is critical to continuing to improve sustainable management. Adding electronic monitoring as a tool will enable increased monitoring of SPRFMO fishing vessels, in particular Chinese-flagged squid vessels. These vessels have historically had observer coverage levels well below any international coverage standards.

Jack Mackerel

The United States also led efforts to progress work on management strategy evaluations for jack mackerel. The United States imports a significant amount of jack mackerel from SPRFMO Members (924,200 kilograms from Chile, China, Ecuador and Panama in 2024, valued at $1,987,021).

Labor Standards

The United States co-sponsored a binding measure on minimum crew labor standards for fishing vessels operating in SPRFMO fisheries. Addressing forced labor and other labor abuses is a top priority for the United States. We are particularly concerned about reports of labor abuses in the squid fishery. Although SPRFMO was unable to agree on a measure, there was agreement to continue the work in an intersessional group with the intention of adopting a revised proposal in 2027.

Background

The South Pacific Regional Fishery Management Organisation has 17 Members:

• Australia
• Belize
• Chile
• China
• Chinese Taipei
• Cook Islands
• Cuba
• Denmark (in respect of the Faroe Islands)
• Ecuador
• European Union
• Korea
• New Zealand
• Panama
• Peru
• Russian Federation
• United States
• Vanuatu.

There are two Cooperating non-Contracting Parties (Curaçao and Liberia). The organisation was formed to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of the fishery resources of the South Pacific Ocean and to safeguard their marine ecosystems. The SPRFMO Convention applies to non-tuna fisheries (including jack mackerel, orange roughy, and jumbo flying squid) in the high seas of the South Pacific.