The second anchovy fishing season in Peru has not only consolidated the recovery of the fishing sector but also generated more than 49 thousand direct and indirect jobs.
Photo: Produce.
At midnight, local time, Peru closed today the second anchovy fishing season in the north-central zone. The closure, ordered by the Peruvian Ministry of Production (Produce) was decided following the advice of the Peruvian Institute of the Sea (Imarpe) to protect the spawning and guarantee the sustainability of both, the anchovy (Engraulisringens) and the white anchovy (Anchoa nasus).
"The sustainability of our fishery resources is key to ensuring the continuity of fishing activity and food security. Protecting the resource during spawning is a commitment we assume with responsibility for the future of our fisheries," pointed out Jesús Barrientos, Peruvian Vice-Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
As said, Produce made the closure decision after the results of the permanent monitoring of the main biological, population, and fishing indicators of the resource carried out by the Imarpe showed a significant increase in the reproductive activity of the anchovy.
The spawning period is a critical phase in the anchovy's life cycle, during which adult specimens release their eggs to ensure the reproduction of new generations. The preservation of this stage is essential to guarantee the natural renewal of the biomass and the long-term sustainability of the resource.
Thus, as pointed out by the Peruvian Ministry of Production, interrupting fishing at this time allows optimal conditions for the development of eggs and larvae, contributing to a greater future abundance of a species that is fundamental not only for Peru but also globally, since it is a key raw material in the feed industry.
Historically, Peru has accounted for an average of 20% of world fishmeal and fish oil production, and, according to the latest data obtained by IFFO, The Marine Ingredients Organisation, in 2024, its high fishing activity compensated for global fishmeal production. Up to November, it had increased by about 16% compared to the same period in 2023, and the organization attributed this growth to Peru's cumulative supply thanks to the great fishing season.
"Caring for anchovy during reproduction is not only a biological necessity but a responsibility to ensure that this resource, a pillar of our industrial and artisanal fisheries, continues to generate economic, social, and nutritional benefits. Sustainability is not an option, it is a priority," said Vice-Minister Barrientos.
Sustainability has guided Produce in all its decisions around this second anchovy fishing season of 2024 in north-central Peru, starting with the allocated quota set at 2.51 million tons after a rigorous scientific evaluation by the Peruvian Institute of the Sea.
After starting the season on November 1, at the close of 2024, 77.91% of that quota had already been landed and, only fifteen days later, that figure had already exceeded 90%. Now, after 83 days of the campaign, Peru has closed one of the most successful anchovy fishing seasons in recent years, with Chimbote, Malabrigo, Coishco, Callao, Supe, Tambo de Mora and Chancay as the main landing ports.
As previously mentioned, at the time of Produce's release, the second season had exceeded 95% of the allocated quota, with more than 2.38 million tons of anchovy caught. However, Peru's Ministry of Production warned this figure will increase in the course of the next few hours when the vessels that have been fishing up to the deadline finish landing.
"This season has not only consolidated the recovery of the fishing sector but has also boosted employment generation and seafood consumption," said the Peruvian Vice-Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. "We have generated more than 49 thousand direct and indirect jobs, contributing significantly to the economic reactivation of the country," Jesús Barrientos concluded.
These good results are in addition to those also achieved during the first anchovy and white anchovy fishing season of 2024 in the central-northern zone which, at the time of closure, exceeded 98% of the quota caught. Opened from April 16 to July 18, landings reached specifically 2,430,589 metric tons (MT), representing 98.21% of the global quota of 2,475,000 MT allocated then.
