The Humboldt Current is one of the 64 large marine ecosystems in the world and covers a significant area along the coasts of Peru and Chile.
Subsecretaría de Pesca y Acuicultura, SUBPESCA.
On the occasion of World Fisheries Day, the Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture of Chile, Julio Salas, and the Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture of Peru, Jesús Barrientos, met to reaffirm the historic bilateral cooperation between both countries on this issue.
During the meeting, they highlighted the importance of this industry for both countries and emphasized the need to work towards its sustainability by improving the management of shared resources, as well as strengthening food security and the resilience of communities and marine ecosystems that are part of the Humboldt Current (GEMCH).
Regarding this encounter, Salas expressed: "I would like to thank the Deputy Minister for his willingness to listen to our viewpoints and for expressing, with great sincerity, his concerns. We have generated a broad consensus on cooperation tasks."
"Likewise, it is important to thank the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for facilitating this space for conversation, and we now have a very enriching work agenda for the coming months that will yield significant results," he concluded.
The GEMCH is one of the 64 large marine ecosystems in the world. It is located in the southeastern Pacific Ocean and covers a significant area along the coasts of Peru and Chile.
According to the UNDP, the pressures that negatively impact its marine biodiversity also affect and jeopardize its proper functioning and ability to provide the essential services needed for our life and development.
The GEF Humboldt II project, created by UNDP, aims to implement a strategic action program for the sustainable management of shared living marine resources in the Humboldt Current System.
Currently, the Binational Meeting of Women in Artisanal Fishing and Related Activities (Chile-Peru) is being held in Tacna, Peru.
Both authorities also discussed the inclusion of Ecuador to gain a broader regional perspective on the fishing sector within the context of the Humboldt ecosystem.
In this way, the group of countries would be better equipped to face major challenges such as climate change and food security.
Ecuador became the first Latin American country to adopt the FiTI standard, which establishes twelve requirements that provide an assessment of a country's fisheries regulations, marine resources, and industrial and artisanal fisheries.
"This report marks a milestone in transparency in the fisheries sector. Ecuador demonstrates that sustainable fisheries management is possible when there is a real commitment to accountability and the protection of our resources," the Minister of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment, and Fisheries of Ecuador, Sonsoles García, stated.