Peru’s Ministry of Production (Produce) has authorised the start of the second fishing season in the north-central area for anchovy (Engraulis ringens) and white anchovy (Anchoa nasus) in the north-central area of the Peruvian Sea.
Beginning on 26 October 2023, the quota set amounts to 1,682,000 tonnes, with the volume representing a 26% decrease on last year’s allocation. This is an important fishery for fishmeal producers.
According to Produce, the quota guarantees that activities remain within the recommended sustainability limits. It is estimated that at the end of the season more than 5 million tonnes of spawning anchovy will remain, which will keep the population within the margins recommended by the Peruvian Sea Institute (Imarpe) to guarantee its sustainability.
Imarpe observed an acoustic biomass of anchovy of 7,180,000 tonnes, which is 7.8% more than the average of winter-spring observations between 1996 and 2022.
This, Produce said, denotes a healthy population of anchovy, which had important spawning between the months of August and September, and began its decline in October.
However, during the fishing season, measures will be taken to guarantee the conservation of juvenile anchovies, with Produce possibly implementing temporary and/or spatial closures in fishing areas.
