In the third week of 2026 (January 9th to January 15th), the domestic far-sea squid market continued to show a weak trend. The price of Peruvian squid (Southeast Pacific) has continued to decline, and market trading has been sluggish. Argentine squid (outside the Southwest Atlantic line) has shown signs of price recovery due to improved catches, and the market focus has begun to shift to the main fishing grounds in South America.

Peruvian squid: The market is sluggish and prices continue to bottom out

  In the third week, the transaction volume of Peruvian squid at Zhejiang Agricultural Center sharply declined. Only 29 tons of small squid were sold, with a transaction price of 15,200 yuan per ton. The comprehensive quotations show that the prices of large heads and tail fins (big ears) have dropped by more than 2,000 yuan per ton, large whole strips have fallen by 1,800 yuan per ton, and small and medium-sized whole strips, fillets and carcasses have decreased by 500 to 950 yuan per ton.

  The trading atmosphere in the market is sluggish. To accelerate inventory reduction, traders have adopted a strategy of price cuts and promotions one after another. The purchasing willingness of downstream processing plants is low, and most of them maintain low inventory operation. The overall demand is weak, and the short-term price lacks the impetus for a rebound.

  In terms of production, data from Peru's production department shows that the first batch of catches after the New Year have been arriving at ports one after another. The size of the squid is relatively large, but the amount landed has decreased. Fishing in the high seas has been stable, with an average daily output of 4 to 8 tons per vessel and a cumulative output of approximately 1,550 to 1,600 tons.

  Data from Weihai International Marine Commodity Trading Center shows that the price of Peruvian equatorial squid rose slightly in the third week, but it remained at a low level overall

Argentine squid: Fishing has improved and prices have stopped falling and started to rise

  In sharp contrast to Peruvian squid, Argentine squid fishing has entered a stage of rapid growth. Although there were no actual transactions at Zhejiang Agricultural Center in the third week, the quotations indicated that the prices of medium and large-sized products had increased by 500 to 750 yuan per ton.

  Since the start of the Argentine squid fishing season, local fleets have discovered large-scale high-quality squid colonies in the sea area north of 49° south latitude, with the highest daily catch per vessel exceeding 70 tons. The catch is mainly of S size, with a body wall thickness of 3.5 to 4.1 millimeters. The meat is firm and of stable quality.

  In terms of fishing in the high seas, the average daily output per vessel last week was 1 to 5 tons, and the cumulative output was approximately 30 tons. Data from Weihai International Marine Commodity Trading Center shows that in the third week, quotations for multiple specifications of Argentine squid rose slightly, and market expectations stabilized.