Fisheries experts in Peru have seen improvements in stocks of mackerel in southern Peru and northern Chile, despite climatic changes in the region.
The president of the Regional Organization of Fishery Ordnances of the Southern Pacific (OROP-PS), James Ianellì, told attendees of an industry event that these improvements are a result of research and policies improving a better management of the fisheries. Ianellì spoke at the Conference of Marine Sustainability, organized by Peru’s National Fisheries Society (SNP).
“In the last few years, thanks to a quota-based management system, a recovery of mackerel stocks has been observed, even though the habitat of this species has changed, they prefer certain temperatures and conditions, which requires greater understanding,” Ianelli said.
Even though projections for the fishery are positive, availability for fishing will not necessarily be even throughout the region or the continent, according to Ianelli.
“The Peruvian area is subject to greater climatic vulnerability compared to Chilean waters,” he added.
Ianellì said that the monitoring work that the OROP performs allows it to identify conditions in different marine regions, and for authorities and the industry to consider vulnerable marine ecosystems and prioritize their choice of actions and the preserve the sustainability of fish stocks.
In addition to mackerel, the organization has been monitoring the development of the pota squid fishery. Ianelli said that the short life of the species makes it difficult to study, and he called for a special monitoring program for the pota squid in order to gather more information for further development of the fishery.
Photo courtesy of SNP
