The bonito (Sarda chiliensis chiliensis)—also known as Eastern Pacific bonito or southern bonito—is one of the most abundant species in Peru, key as both a fishing and food source in the country.
Photo: Produce.
Peru's Ministry of Production (Produce) announced that both the extraction and landing of bonito (Sarda chiliensis chiliensis) have been temporarily prohibited at all points along the Peruvian coast.
The order, communicated by the General Directorate of Supervision, Control and Sanction (DGSFS-PA) in compliance with the country's fisheries management measures, was issued after the catches made so far had already reached 90% of the maximum sustainable yield planned for the bonito fishery this year.
Thus, Produce specified that there is currently no authorized landing point for this tunidae in the entire country, because the previous list of landing sites authorized for this activity has also expired.
Likewise, Peruvian fisheries authorities urged fishing vessel owners, landing site managers, transporters, marketers, markets, restaurants and processing plants to respect current regulations and join the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
In announcing this temporary prohibition, Peru's Vice Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Jesús Barrientos, stated that these actions reflect the Peruvian State's commitment to the conservation of hydrobiological resources and the protection of formal fishing activity.
"The catch quotas are established based on technical and scientific criteria to ensure the sustainability of the bonito resource and prevent its overexploitation. Compliance with these measures is fundamental to protecting the balance of the marine ecosystem and guaranteeing the continuity of artisanal fishing for the benefit of thousands of Peruvian families," he claimed.
The Ministry of Production also recalled that bonito fishing was progressively suspended after verifying compliance with the catch limits established for the different authorized fleets, in accordance with the resolutions issued by the fisheries authority last month.
These maximum allowable catches were established to ensure the responsible and sustainable use of the species. The latest update was carried out in early May, when the total allowable catch (TAC) of bonito for 2026 was increased by nearly 18%—from 68,367 to 80,655 tons—which meant that, in 2026, 12,288 more tons than initially planned may be caught.
Along with that TAC increase, Produce then also introduced a new quota distribution, and established a staggered fishing schedule to manage fishing effort. Furthermore, as part of an adaptive management approach based on scientific evidence and ongoing monitoring, it also extends the TAC validity through December.
As Peru's Ministry of Production then remarked, with these measures, it not only sought to strengthen the sustainable management of the resource but also to improve food security and optimize the economic benefits of small-scale fishing along the entire Peruvian coastline. Ultimately, it is about ensuring a balance between sustainability, food supply, and better opportunities for artisanal fishing.
"We are ensuring that bonito remains an accessible food source for Peruvian families, but also a profitable and organized activity for thousands of artisanal fishermen in the country," the head of Produce, Minister César Quispe Luján, said then.
Thereby, Peru is implementing with bonito the adaptive fisheries management model that it is already applying with the anchovy and that, recently, led it to order a new temporary suspension of the first anchovy fishing season of 2026 in the north-central region of the country. It was the second of the season after the ten-day closure that was already ordered in April to ensure responsible and sustainable fishing, thus safeguarding the livelihood of thousands of families.
