While the world focuses on other conflicts, a new choreography of plunder has begun in the Argentine waters usurped by the United Kingdom . This Sunday, February 22, the Galician fleet—a strategic partner of the colonial enclave—kicked off the 2026 Loligo squid season. After three years of precipitous declines and a biomass teetering on the brink of commercial extinction, the start of this season is not a cause for celebration, but a warning sign: the United Kingdom is gambling with the future of the marine ecosystem to sustain its finances in the Malvinas.

The 40,000-ton mirage

Preliminary data from the South Atlantic are attempting to inject cautious optimism into the fishing sector of Vigo and Marín. The vessel Monteferro , acting as a "thermometer" for the season, reported catches of 41 tons per day during its survey. This figure, while exceeding the agonizing 25 tons at the end of 2025, does not dispel the shadow of the crisis.

The colonial administration estimates an initial biomass of 40,000 tons . However, for experts and for the historical monitoring of Agenda Malvinas , this number is fragile. In August 2025, ambition and overexploitation forced an early closure to prevent the stock from falling below the "survival threshold" of 10,000 tons . We are facing an enclave economy that survives by scraping the bottom of the barrel.

The "Pincer" of Looting: From Galicia to Beijing

The Loligo fishery is not only under pressure from the 16 Spanish trawlers operating under illegal British licenses. The resource is caught in a predatory vise:

1.    The Galician Fleet: Companies like the Pereira Group and Lanzal, which modernize their vessels to be more efficient in the capture, ironically accelerating the end of their own business.

2.    The 201 Mile Fleet: Hundreds of squid fishing vessels from China, South Korea and Taiwan, stationed at the edge of the Argentine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), intercept the migratory stock without any biological control.

"There are no squid," Galician captains were saying last year. Today, the resource seems to have timidly returned, but the bottom trawling technique continues to devastate the benthic habitat, destroying the home of the species they intend to continue fishing.

The Mainstay of the Colonial Enclave

It's not just about fishing; it's about geopolitics . The sale of these illegal licenses is the financial lifeblood of the British occupation. Without the surplus generated by squid, the cost of maintaining the established colony would be significantly higher for London. By allowing this uncontrolled extraction, Spanish companies not only violate Argentine sovereignty but also finance the usurper's continued presence.

2026: The year of the point of no return?

The current season is scheduled to last 64 days, but monitoring will be daily. If the biomass falters, panic will return. Argentina watches as its natural heritage is auctioned off to the highest bidder in a frenzy of illegal licenses that ignores United Nations resolutions.

The plundering of fisheries is the most visible face of the usurpation and, as the resource is depleted, it becomes clear that British colonialism is, by definition, an extractive model that is an enemy of nature.

Fountain:

Fish