International environmental activist group Oceana is speaking out against the Peruvian government’s decision to allow a second anchovy fishing season, saying the government is risking “long-term consequences.”
According to a statement on Oceana’s website (Spanish), the data the government is using to set quotas for the season is inaccurate. Specifically, the assessment of 6 million metric tons of biomass includes juveniles, without which the eligible biomass would be much smaller, and below the recommended threshold for opening a fishing season.
"This decision puts at risk the sustainability of the resource, providing a future threat to fisheries and other species that depend on anchovy,” said Patricia Majluf, Oceana VP in Peru.
Majluf also noted reports of an El Niño weather pattern expected to affect stock levels over the next few months makes the anchovy stock particularly vulnerable.