Peru’s Ministry of Production gave the green light to a second anchovy season, following a protracted period of uncertainty.
The second season opened last week and the quota is set at 1,682,000 tonnes. The world’s largest fishery of its kind, the Peruvian anchovy season underpins fishmeal production around the world and a failed season would have had far-reaching repercussions.
The decision to authorise a fishing season has been welcomed by the industry.
‘We begin our participation in the second anchovy fishing season 2023 authorised by the Ministry of Production. This reactivation represents excellent news not only for the thousands of Peruvians who depend directly or indirectly on the fishing industry, but also for the businesses serving the sector, the communities where they operate and the jobs they generate,’ a representative of fishing and processing company TASA commented.
‘At TASA we remain committed to working for safe and responsible fishing, which has a crucial impact on the country’s economy.’
The season is authorised for anchovy (Engraulis ringens) and white anchovy (Anchoa nasus) in the north-central area of Peruvian waters, an area between the northern limit of Peru’s EEZ and 16°00’S.
According to the Ministry, this quota will ensure that activity remains within the recommended sustainability limits, leaving an estimated spawning mass of more than 5 million tonnes.
The decision has been taken on the basis if scientific reports provided by Imarpe that evaluates the state of the north-central stock. In its efforts to assess the resource, during El Niño and in the face of challenging conditions, the institute has carried out multiple operations at sea to evaluate the stock.
Imarpe observed an acoustic biomass of anchovy of 7,180,000 tonnes, estimated at 7.8% more than the average of winter-spring observations between 1996 and 2022. This indicates a healthy anchovy population, which spawned between August and September, and began its decline in October.
During the fishing season, the Ministry intends to take measure aimed at protecting juvenile anchovy, and may implement temporal and spatial closures in fishing areas.
