Peru starts second anchovy fishery season after cancellation of first cost seafood industry over USD 1 billion

Peru’s Ministry of Production (PRODUCE) authorized a 26 October launch of the second anchovy fishery season in the country’s north-central zone, establishing a total allowable catch (TAC) of 1.68 million metric tons (MT) and giving hopes to Peruvian fishermen and the seafood industry as a whole that had to adjust to the first season’s cancelation earlier this year.

The newly established TAC aligns with recommendations from the Peruvian Sea Institute (Imarpe) to guarantee the sustainability of the biomass. The institute has kept the effects of the El Niño weather pattern and recent anomalous environmental conditions in mind and has carried out multiple operations at sea to monitor and evaluate the anchoveta stock.

Imarpe determined an anchovy biomass of 7.18 million MT – 7.8 percent more than the average winter-spring numbers found between 1996 and 2022, the country’s official gazette El Peruano reported. At the end of the season, an estimated 5 million MT or more of spawning anchovy will remain, which will keep the population in line with fishing sustainability.

“PRODUCE’s decision is of great relevance for the economic reactivation of the fishing sector and the entire productive chain that is developed as a result of the anchovy fishery,” El Peruano reported. “It generates employment and contributes significantly to national income … [offering] a positive signal for the country’s economy and [ensuring] the continuity of a vital activity.”

The TAC is significantly below the TAC established for the second season in 2022 of 2.28 million MT, but the decision still came ...

Photo courtesy of PRODUCE