Peru’s Ministry of Production (PRODUCE) has set 22 April as the launch date for the first 2025 anchovy-fishing season in the country’s North-Central zone.
Authorities established a total allowable catch (TAC) of 3 million metric tons (MT) for the season, based on technical and biological reports submitted by the Peruvian Sea Institute (Imarpe). This TAC marks the second-highest seasonal quota in the last decade, PRODUCE announced on its website.
“Our anchovy is very healthy, with a current biomass of about 11 million MT, mainly due to the fact that the environmental conditions of our sea are neutral,” Fisheries and Aquaculture Deputy Minister Jesús Barrientos said. “This season reaffirms that Peru has sustainable management and can develop industrial fishing in a responsible way, using technical criteria and thinking about future generations.”
The positive conditions going into the season mark a clear distinction from 2023, when El Niño weather patterns wreaked havoc on the anchovy fishery, leading PRODUCE to close the country’s second anchovy season early after having completely canceled the first season.
After that difficult year, Peru then had two solid seasons in 2024, landing more than 4.6 million MT of anchovy for indirect human consumption. The fishery – one of the world’s largest – brings in billions of dollars in revenue, and the country’s anchovy catch is used to produce about 20 percent of global fishmeal supplies.
As a result, global fishmeal and fish oil production increased in 2024, according to IFFO - the Marine Ingredients Organization.
The new season in 2025, as well as a positive performance from the 36 industrial vessels actively fishing in the country’s south, is set to consolidate that growth, according to Barrientos.
“With this quota, we not only boost one of our most important industries, but we also generate approximately 90,000 jobs in the coastal regions. Peru needs this type of good news,” he said.
IFFO Market Research Director Enrico Bachis applauded the news.
“This quota is the highest since the ones from 2018 (over 3.3 million MT) and 2011 (nearly 3.7 million MT) and signals a healthy biomass,” he said.
According to IFFO’s market intelligence reports, global cumulative fishmeal production jumped by about 40 percent in February 2025 when compared to the same month of 2024, thanks primarily to the significant uptick in Peru; however, Chile, the U.S., Spain, and African countries also saw positive performances.
Meanwhile, total cumulative output for fish oil for the year through February 2025 increased 38 percent year over year, mainly driven by Peru, IFFO said.
