Chinese Squid Fishing Fleet Operating Off Argentina Grows Nearly 50% Over Past Decade

An Argentine coast guard ship picked up a garbled Mandarin broadcast on its radio from nearby boats on a balmy January night. The transmission came from vessels among some 200 Chinese fishing boats that spend months at a time each year near Argentina’s waters. The boats hunt primarily for squid to supply the world’s largest squid market.

Approximately 200 Chinese fishing vessels operate in the area annually, according to The Japan Times. The size of the Chinese fishing flotilla near Argentina has increased by nearly 50 percent over the last decade. In that same period Buenos Aires has increased its surveillance of the fleet.

A drone view shows crew members aboard a squid jigger vessel operating outside Argentina's exclusive economic zone in the South Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Argentina on Jan. 18. The Japan Times reported the image was taken as foreign vessels, mostly Chinese, worked just beyond the maritime boundary.

Argentina maintains an exclusive economic zone where it controls all maritime resources. The increased surveillance aims to ensure the fleet does not fish inside that zone. The article detailing the encounter and the growth of the fleet was published on May 13, 2026.

The Japan Times reported the episode as an illustration of the scale of Chinese fishing activity off South America.