Peru’s anchovy capture limits for 2021 will be similar to that in 2020 if the biomass remains stable, meaning a total of some five million metric tons (MT), according to Cayetana Aljovín, president of Peru’s National Fisheries Society (SNP), which represents the country's commercial fishing industry.
“We know that we are subject to the issue of weather which can cause the projections to change, but if the neutral weather forecast is maintained and the biomass remains stable as we’ve seen to date, those are our projections," Aljovín told El Comercio.
Aljovín cautioned the 11 April national elections, which include a presidential contest and voter decisions on all 130 seats of Peru’s unicameral congress, may also affect the fishing sector’s productivity.
"Politics is another risk that we analyze because we are a highly regulated sector and any change that is made impacts us highly, which is why we always ask for stability, not subsidies or gifts, to guarantee long-term investments and to maintain a robust fishery sector that ensures sustainability of the resource,” she said.
Peru’s Ministry of Production (PRODUCE) recently called a close to the second season of anchovy fishing in the north-central region, with 88 percent or 2.45 million MT of the 2.78 million MT quota caught. In a release, Alvojín said that the season brought in USD 1 billion (EUR 824.7 million) to the country, and that the fishing sector directly represents 1.5 percent of Peru’s GDP, generating over 700,000 jobs.
Midyear, anchovy fishers reached 100 percent of the 2.41 million MT quota assigned for the first fishing season in the north-central region. SNP said 709 industrial vessels participated in the north-central zone’s fishing season, with the sector investing USD 102 million (EUR 84.1 million) in biosecurity protocols to protect the health of its workers.
The country divides its anchovy fishing areas into two regions – south and north-central – with different capture limits and seasons set for each one. The north-central is Peru’s main fishing region, with capture measuring roughly six times that of the south region. SNP expects the first fishing season for the south region to be called shortly.
Photo courtesy of SNP
