Peruvian fishmeal and fish oil producer, Copeinca, has achieved Friend of the Sea certification.
Copeinca's purse seine fleet fishing Peruvian anchovetas (Engraulins ringens) was found to comply with all Friend of the Sea criteria for sustainable fishery.
The target stock of Peruvian anchoveta is not overexploited in the fishing area (FAO AREA 87). The Istituto del Mar Peruano (IMARPE) establishes very strict fishing quota, including area and period specifications, based on accurate data.
Copeinca's fleet is composed of 28 purse seiners with a total hold capacity of 10,500 cubic meters. The vessels are controlled through a satellite system and they do not operate in Marine Protected Areas. Fishing gears comply with local regulations in force, both for maximum net size and mesh size; the fishing activity has no impact on the seabed.
Bycatch is limited to a 5% as established by the Peruvian regulation, thus also limiting the discard to a maximum of 5% (lower than the 8% limit allowed by Friend of the Sea). In the unlikely event of marine mammals bycatch, these are return alive to the sea.
A waste management system is in place and measures are implemented to avoid waste to be dispersed. The fleet only uses ammonia for the refrigerating systems onboard.
Copeinca guarantees a specific traceability system to demonstrate the sustainable origin of both fishmeal and fish oil. Every single vessel of the fleet is monitored through the Geomap satellite software that keeps evidence of all data related to the fishing activity: coordinates, date, catching quantity and anchovy size for each capture.
“Copeinca has engaged in sustainable production for several years now," explains Pablo Trapunsky, Copeinca general manager. “Friend of the Sea certification is perfectly in line with our policies and mission.”
