Peruvian fishing giant Exalmar has reported it has reached 70 percent of its established anchovy catch quota for the first half of this year.
The solid landings have allowed the anchoveta catcher and fishmeal producer to recover its fishmeal inventories which, at the beginning of the year, were nearly exhausted.
The company’s general manager, Rossana Ortiz, said that the level of the quota set by the government and an out-of-the-ordinary start in April has allowed it to produce a higher amount of anchovy in May and June, according to a report in EL Comercio.
According to Ortiz, a temporary suspension of the anchovy catch in November and December 2017 and low production in January of this year had left a mark on its level of fishmeal inventories.
In the end of March, the company reported 2.1 million tons of fishmeal, 68 percent lower than in the previous year.
But the government has increased its catch quotas, fixing 3.3 million tons of anchovy for the first harvest season of this year after determining the existence of 11 million tons of biomass. This volume is 35 percent higher than the average biomass over the last 25 years.
In general, the industry has reached 90 percent of the total quota, according to statements from the president of the Sechura fishery boat owners association, Merardo Vite Zeta published in La Hora.
“We have had good advances, maybe by the end of June we will hit the assigned quota,” the official said.
Therefore, Vite Zeta expects that the second season for anchovy, from November 2018 to January 2019, is all but assured.
Peru Minister of Production Raùl Pèrez-Reyes recently reported that as of April 2018, anchovy production for fishmeal and fish oil has been a driving factor behind a 151 percent increase in volumes produced in 2018 compared to the previous year, according to a ministry statement.
He said this increase was precisely due to the increased quota, and that it has also led to an increase in landings destined for direct consumption. Better anchovy landings were also cited as a driver for an 81 percent in the economic value of the production for the seafood industry in Peru.
Photo courtesy of the Peruvian Ministry of Production
