Peru’s industrial anchovy fishing fleet has caught 71 percent of the 1.68 million metric tons (MT) available in its total allowable catch, which was established 26 October 2023 when the Peruvian Ministry of Production (PRODUCE) launched the second anchovy fishery season in the country’s north-central zone.
The launch of the second season came on the heels of the cancelation of the first season of 2023 – partly due to the effects of El Niño, which led to a high incidence of juveniles and deficient biological conditions needed to fish sustainably. Nevertheless, the decision to cancel the season resulted in an estimated USD 1.4 billion (EUR 1.3 billion) in lost revenue from fishmeal and fish oil exports. Peru is the world’s largest supplier of fishmeal and fish oil, for which anchovy is the main ingredient.
Despite high hopes that were put on the second season and almost three-quarters of the TAC already caught, it is likely nearing its conclusion, according to Pablo Trapunsky, the CEO of Peruvian anchoveta fishing and processing firm Pesquera Diamante.
“I believe we have reached the last few days of activity,” he told SeafoodSource. “Basically, since mid-December, we’ve seen a dramatic change in ocean conditions as a result of some Kelvin waves that arrived on the coast with high-salinity waters, which caused the anchovy to move away.”
Despite the historically challenging year for the anchoveta fishery, PRODUCE Minister Ana María Choquehuanca said there were other highlights in Peru's seafood industry in 2023. Peru’s squid fishery broke an all-time record in 2023, with catch coming in at 600,000 metric tons [MT] – more than double the historical average.
Peruvian industrial fishing fleets have just about reached their limit in terms of the percentage of juveniles they are allowed to haul in with their anchoveta catch, and signs are pointing toward another ...
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock/Corrado Baratta
