Peru's anchovy fishery calendar has had an impact on production volumes and market trends at a global level.
Photo: Produce.
In July 2025, total cumulative fishmeal production increased by approximately 8% compared to the same period in 2024, and the same was true for fish oil, whose cumulative production showed a year-on-year increase of around 5%.
According to IFFO, The Marine Ingredients Organisation, which provided the data, the increase in global fishmeal production was mainly due to higher production in most regions, except Northern Europe. Regarding fish oil, compared to January-July 2024, most countries recorded positive trends, except Spain, Iceland/North Atlantic, and Peru.
About Peru specifically, IFFO highlighted that, given that in an average year the South American country accounts for around 20% of global production of both fishmeal and fish oil, its fishing calendar has had an impact on production volumes and market trends at a global level.
While last year the first anchovy fishing season in north-central Peru ended around June 19, this year, fishing activity continued until the end of July 2025. In order to protect the spawning and juvenile stock, the Peruvian Ministry of Production decided to conclude it on the 24th.
Thus, even when the total quota had not yet been reached, catches were sufficient for 2025 to register an increase in fishmeal production compared to last year, thereby breaking the slight downward trend recorded from January to May.
Thus, IFFO's Market Research Director, Dr. Enrico Bachis, expressed The Marine Ingredients Organisation's confidence that its forecasts for total production this year will hold. "Global fishmeal and fish oil production is consistent with IFFO's 2025 estimates at 5.6 million tons of fishmeal and 1.2-1.3 million tons of fish oil," he said.
As WeAreAquaculture has explained on other occasions, the IFFO intelligence reports from which these figures are taken are based on statistics shared by members of the organization in Chile, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Ivory Coast, Mauritius, Norway, the UK, the USA, Peru, South Africa, and Spain, which together account for 40% of global fishmeal production and 50% of fish oil production.
However, in each of its IFFO reports, The Marine Ingredients Organisation also provides insights about China. It does so through its analysts in the country who, this time, reported a decline in domestic production of marine ingredients in the first seven months of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
If from January to May, domestic production of marine ingredients had remained limited due to fishing closures along the Chinese coast, IFFO said that these bans have now ended or are about to do so. Specifically, the fishing ban in the South China Sea and the southern part of the East China Sea was lifted on August 15. Meanwhile, the closure in the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea ended on September 1 and will soon be followed by the lifting of the last ban in the main areas of the East China Sea on September 16.
Despite this, according to The Marine Ingredients Organization, the outlook for wild catches for the remainder of 2025 in China remains uncertain.
In terms of demand, fishmeal consumption in aquaculture has exceeded last year's level so far, supported by significantly improved profitability in certain farmed species. In the pig sector, however, falling piglet prices have led to lower demand for pig feed and, therefore, fishmeal.
IFFO reports indicated that, despite recurring adverse weather conditions such as high temperatures and typhoons, farming activities have generally performed well in recent months, meaning that the peak season for aquafeed production and demand for marine ingredients is still ongoing and is expected to continue until October.
