The Peruvian government has cuts its commercial fishing quota as stocks of anchovy have diminished thanks to warmer water temperatures and controversial practices such as discarded catches.
The quota has been cut by 68% to 810,000 tonnes, the smallest allowance in 25 years. According to a report by the government marine institute, IMARPE, the stricter quota for this summer’s anchovy season, will allow just enough anchovy to swim into spawning season, procreate and keep the size of the fishery more or less stable.
According to Reuters, Gladys Trevino, production minister, told reporters: "Technically we should have said the quota is zero. That's how bleak the panorama is.”
Mr Arturo Gonzales, director of the sustainable fishing advocacy group, CeDePesca, added: "But we can't just blame what's going on in the environment. There are a lot of questions about how much this is driven by the industry's discarded catches, and that's something we can control."
The quota could also push the price of fishmeal up even further, which has already doubled over the past decade and rose 20% in the past year alone.
If warmer waters persist in Peru in the coming months, the government could enforce additional restrictions on the anchovy population, which it says has decreased by 41% since last summer.
