Blessed with rich marine life, Peru boasts the second largest fishing industry in the world. Given its strategic geographical location and favorable climate, Peru is a leading source and exporter of fish and fish-related products to countries around the world, including China, with several deep-sea fishing companies competing for precious catches.
Home to several hundred species of fish, Peru’s nutrient-rich waters teem with high-value species like sea bass, mackerel, tuna, herring, anchoveta and other marine life such as crab, lobster and mollusks. While the warm ocean current known as “El Nino” occasionally negatively impacts the industry, the sector is a major employer and key source of foreign exchange revenues.
According to government data, the fisheries industry generates around 10 percent of GDP. Exports for 2011 reached nearly USD 1.05 billion, of which about USD 412 million came from sales of frozen giant squid.
A report published in 2010 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations confirms Peru as the second largest marine and inland capture fisheries industry in the world at 7.4 million tons.
That figure was exactly half of the 14.8 million tons caught by global leader China. Canned fish and frozen fish are among its most popular exports.
