Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis ringens) fishers pull in 10 percent of the total fish catch in the world. For the first time it will be independently monitored, ensuring the sustainability of stocks. This fishery is said to be a major Peruvian export, reaching more than U.S. $ 1.7 billion in 2008, equivalent to 70 percent of national fish exports for the entire country.
There is no doubt that the government in past years had gradually improved the management of anchovy stocks by creating standards and quotas, this new monitoring system will greatly bolster those efforts. Apart from this the Peruvian government has signed an agreement which formalized the establishment of the first Peruvian Observatory to regulate its fishing industry, run by universities Cayetano Heredia and del Pacifico, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), WWF and the Instituto del Mar Peruano (IMARPE).
It is told that this observatory aims to implement a monitoring system that will strengthen and complement the technical capabilities of the government to ensure sustainable management anchovy stocks. The Minister of Production of Peru, Dr. Mercedes Araoz informed that with this development Peru will have the world’s best fishery and not just the largest.
Furthermore, it will help to assess the potential impacts of industrial fisheries and recommend best practices and strengthen the sector to improve fisheries management, ensuring the resilience of the anchovy population and the sustainability of the marine ecosystem of Peru. Michael Valqui, Director of WWF Peru’s Marine Program, said that this development not only shares the information of the largest fishery on the planet, but it takes an important step towards sustainability and possible certification, and even generates inputs for the conservation of Humboldt’s marine ecosystem facing climate change.
