Anchovy on a Peruvian fishing vessel.
Photo: Produce.
The first industrial anchovy fishing season for indirect human consumption in the north-central zone of 2025 is progressing with great dynamism in Peru. With an average daily landing of more than 45 thousand tons and the active participation of 355 vessels per day, the Peruvian Ministry of Production (Produce) estimated the season to end successfully.
A few days after the first month of the fishing season, Peruvian authorities reported that anchovy landings have reached a total of 1,687,309 tons, which represents 56.24% of the authorized quota of 3,000,000 tons, the second highest in the last 13 years.
Produce established this total allowable catch (TAC) following the anchovy biomass assessment conducted by the Peruvian Institute of the Sea (Imarpe), and has now remarked that, always through this scientific institute, it maintains permanent monitoring to guarantee the sustainability of the resource.
According to Produce, the 45,603 tons of anchovy for indirect human consumption that are being landed daily in Peru are a reflection of the good state of the resource, the efficient planning based on the aforementioned scientific evidence, and the excellent performance of the Peruvian fishing sector.
Landings have been concentrated in important ports such as Chimbote, Callao, Coishco, Supe, Malabrigo, Tambo de Mora, and Végueta, boosting regional economies and generating a strong positive impact on coastal areas.
"The progress achieved not only speaks of responsible fisheries management, but also the joint effort of the State, the industry, and the workers of the sea," said Peru's Minister of Production, Sergio González. "We are seeing specific results that directly contribute to GDP growth and strengthen our exports."
"Industrial fishing is responding with efficiency and commitment. This season is being an engine of reactivation for the Peruvian economy, especially in regions where fishing is a source of employment and productive investment," he also said.
As Minister Gonzalez himself said at the start of this first anchovy fishing season of 2025 in north-central Peru last April 22, the season is expected to generate a 49% contribution to the fishing GDP, equivalent to an added value of PEN 1,177 million (USD 317.2 million).
Then, the head of Produce also said that it will generate approximately 50,000 direct jobs in the whole chain of the extractive fishing activity, something that the Ministry of Production emphasized again now, adding that this job creation will strengthen the whole productive chain from extraction to industrial transformation.
Both catches and processing of Peruvian anchovy for fishmeal and fish oil are key in the country and abroad, as Peru has historically accounted for an average of 20% of world production.
According to data from IFFO, The Marine Ingredients Organisation, in February this year, total cumulative fishmeal production increased by approximately 40% year-on-year globally, influenced mainly by a significant rebound in Peru's anchovy catches, and the same was true for fish oil, whose total cumulative production increased by 38%.
Committed to its role in the global feed industry, just last week, Peru took a key strategic step in its commitment to offer certification services aligned with the highest international standards by adopting MarinTrust's Factory Standard v.03, aiming to establish fully traceable marine ingredients.