The Peruvian Ministry of Production (Produce) has authorized the reopening of the jack mackerel fishery after ending the reproductive ban. It has also announced an increase of 84,724 tons in the catch limit for the period 2023. The agency in charge of fisheries management in Peru assures that with these measures it "seeks to contribute to the reactivation of artisanal fishing."
According to monitoring by the Peruvian Institute of the Sea (Imarpe), last October the spawning of jack mackerel (Trachurus murphyi) was at its reproductive peak. Therefore, in order to protect the spawning of the species, Produce established a reproductive ban on this fishery resource.
During all this time, Imarpe continued monitoring the evolution of the reproductive process and after evidencing that it had begun to decline, recommended to immediately conclude with the measure. Thus, yesterday, November 2, the Peruvian Ministry of Production ended the ban established to facilitate reproduction and reopened the jack mackerel fishery.
The Peruvian government is very committed to the protection of its fishing resources and, in addition to taking more drastic measures such as the cancellation of the first anchovy fishing season last June - fortunately reactivated last week -, it is also supervising and monitoring more strictly than ever that the fish landed in its ports comply with the established sizes and weights.
In addition to stopping the ban, the ministerial resolution approving the reopening of the jack mackerel fishery also included another important decision. Based on the Imarpe report, Peru has decided to increase the catch limit of this species by 84,724 tons for the artisanal sector during the period 2023.
The new catch limit announced is applicable to extractive activities carried out by artisanal fishing vessels using seine gear and holding capacity equal to or greater than 20 cubic meters up to 32.6 cubic meters.
Produce says the measure allows artisanal vessels to continue carrying out their fishery activities in the remaining months of the year 2023, thus helping the reactivation of the sector. The Peruvian fisheries management agency concludes its announcement by saying that, "this way, Produce seeks to ensure the sustainability of the species and promote the development of the sector."
