The rapidly expanding jumbo flying squid (Dosidicus gigas) fishery in the South Pacific is prompting urgent action from regional authorities as environmental and economic pressures mount. At the recent annual meeting of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO), members focused on managing one of the world’s largest squid fisheries across roughly 59 million square kilometers of high seas, an area twice the size of Africa. The surge in squid-jigging vessels,from 14 in 2000 to over 500 last year, predominantly Chinese-flagged,has coincided with a sharp decline in reported catches, dropping from over 1 million metric tons in 2014 to approximately 600,000 metric tons in 2024. Scientists warn that overfishing risks depleting squid stocks, threatening the long-term sustainability of this key marine resource.