"The management of anchovy in Peru is based on scientific evidence and adaptive management," said Peru's Minister of Production.
Photo: Produce.
The first anchovy fishing season of 2026 in north-central Peru has been suspended again. Following the ten-day suspension ordered at the end of April, the persistence of warm sea conditions associated with the development of El Niño Costero 2026 has forced a new temporary suspension, prohibiting the fishing of anchovy (Engraulis ringens) and white anchovy (Anchoa nasus) for a period of 15 additional days.
As part of the adaptive management measures aimed at protecting the sustainability of the resource, the order issued by the Ministry of Production of Peru (Produce) is effective from 00:00 hours on May 27 and will be active until 23:59 hours on June 10, 2026.
The decision was adopted based on the technical recommendation of the Peruvian Institute of the Sea (Imarpe), after the Produce's scientific body warned of the persistence and intensification of warm conditions on the Peruvian coast.
These conditions could modify the availability and distribution of anchovy, as well as increase the vulnerability of juvenile specimens to capture, a scenario that requires maintaining a precautionary approach to protect recruitment and stock renewal.
In announcing the measure, Produce explained that this new temporary suspension seeks to reduce the extractive pressure on areas with a high incidence of juvenile anchovy and prevent the fleet from concentrating its operations in vulnerable areas.
According to Peru's Ministry of Production, the fishing moratorium allows for the natural redistribution of fish stocks and redirects fishing efforts toward areas with fewer juveniles. This drastically reduces bycatch and reinforces the precautionary approach to resource management.
Peru's current fisheries management model allows for targeted and temporary closures based on ongoing biological and oceanographic monitoring by Imarpe, strengthening the capacity to respond to climate variability and ensuring the sustainable use of the country's main fishing resource.
The Peruvian Institute of the Sea recently obtained ISO 9001:2015 international certification from SGS. This recognition validates the quality, traceability, and reliability of its scientific processes related to anchovy biomass estimation and biological sampling, strengthening the technical basis for fisheries management decisions made by the Peruvian government.
Thus, fully supported by this scientific monitoring by Imarpe, Produce stated that the temporary suspension of fishing activities seeks to safeguard the available biomass, protect the renewal process of the species and guarantee the sustainability of the fishery.
"The management of anchovy in Peru is based on scientific evidence and adaptive management that allows us to act in a timely and responsible way to protect the resource and ensure its sustainability," said Peru's Minister of Production, César Quispe Luján.
"These precautionary measures aim to protect the species' renewal process and ensure the sustainability of a key strategic activity for the country, based on scientific information, applying technical criteria and with permanent monitoring for responsible fishing," added the head of Produce.
Recently, the assessment report on Peru's fisheries and aquaculture sector prepared by the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) described the South American country's fisheries management—based on scientific research and analysis—as "world-class."
The international perspective is important because the management of the anchovy fishery in Peru and its long-term sustainability extend far beyond the country itself, as the country accounts for 20% of global fishmeal and fish oil production in a normal year.
As IFFO – The Marine Ingredients Organisation warned in its latest report, all eyes in the feed industry, and more specifically those of marine ingredients suppliers, are currently focused on the intermittent nature of this first anchovy fishing season of 2026 in north-central Peru, and awaiting the recommendations of the next measurements from Imarpe.