"To the request for the modification of the minimum size allowed for anchovy fishery made by fishing agents for indirect human consumption, Imarpe recommends that there is no modification. And that is the position of the Ministry of Production." Thus settled Ana María Choquehuanca, head of the sector in the South American country, the request made by the anchovy fishing sector in the country.
The same criterion applies to the maximum catch quota for the second anchovy fishing season in the north-central zone of the country. Produce sticks to following the recommendations of the Peruvian Institute of the Sea (Imarpe).
Currently, the minimum size of anchovy in Peru is 12 centimeters. The Ministry of Production (Produce) has decided to follow Imarpe's recommendation and keep it that way. Its objective, they say, is to ensure a sustainable and responsible fishing development, and not only with this species. The Peruvian government has established strict control over all fish landed in its ports to ensure that it complies with the established sizes and weights.
During the meetings held with the fishermen's associations, the National Fisheries Society (SNP), and the shipowners of Law 26920, Produce informed them that their request to reduce the minimum size of juveniles required an extremely detailed and long-term study by Imarpe, to know if the anchoveta can reproduce with smaller sizes in the face of new environmental conditions. Without the technical backing of this study, the Ministry understands that there is no technical support to modify it.
"Produce's commitment to climate change is to guarantee sustainable and responsible fisheries development, with the precautionary approach and adaptive management that Imarpe provides to ensure sustainability and generate long-term economic development," Choquehuanca insisted.
At the same time, Produce has also ratified the ministerial resolution that authorized a maximum catch quota of 1,682,000 tons of anchovy for the second fishing season of this resource in the north-central zone of Peru. The Ministry pointed out that, as with the minimum size, this figure is also established based on the report of the anchovy assessment cruise carried out by Imarpe.
This report considers the climatic conditions, biomass and population structure of the species. With these data, Imarpe presents four scenarios: unfavorable, neutral unfavorable, neutral and favorable. From these four, one of the scenarios is chosen and one of the tables with different risk levels and exploitation rates is selected.
"No quota is going to be revised because the resolution is already issued, and the resolutions are supported by Imarpe. We cannot give a greater amount than what was given, because the quota is given based on that report, which is technical-scientific," Minister Choquehuanca assured. "Being currently with El Niño Phenomenon in between, we have opted for the unfavorable scenario that Imarpe points out as 'strong Niño type', but applying an exploitation rate of 0.31, equivalent to a quota of 1,682,000, which is what has been assigned to them," she pointed out.