Fishing, the hardest hit sector in 2023, will not have a respite this year

In 2023, the Peruvian economy fell 0.6%, according to official data from the INEI, and the hardest hit productive sector was fishing, which fell 20%. This activity was affected by climatic phenomena, especially that of the industrial fishery, which is dedicated to the extraction of anchovy and contributes 80% to the fishing GDP.

Nine months to

Industrial fishing in Peru takes place in two seasons, the first—and most important—usually begins in April and lasts until July. While the second runs from November to January (see infographic).

The first half of 2023 was marked by the passage of El Niño Costero, which warmed the waters more than normal and caused the anchovy to seek refuge at more than 150 meters deep, according to the Institute of the Sea of ​​Peru (Imarpe)which made their capture impossible, and only juveniles remained on the surface.

What problem does capturing juveniles bring? Juan Carlos Ocampo, economist and professor at the Universidad Privada del Norte, explains that capturing “adolescent” anchovies puts biomass at risk because it is a resource that has not yet reproduced; On the other hand, it results in lower quality flour, so the international price could drop. “The technical thing, the optimal thing is to capture an adult anchovy,” clarifies.

After weeks of uncertainty, meetings between industrial unions and sector authorities, the Ministry of Production (Produce) officially announced in June that the first season would not begin.

In August and October, exploratory fishing was carried out, with the participation of the industry, to collect information on the status of the anchovy, and in both cases the presence of juveniles was reported in more than 50%.

But the pressure to fish and fulfill orders for fishmeal and fish oil was great and a second season was authorized, which began in October and ended the second week of January 2024 without completing its assigned catch quota of 1.6 million tons (more than 70% achieved).

“It was not an easy season, it had many restrictions. Between December and the first days of January, we managed to finish our quota, but with double the expenses. For example, if we usually use 5,000 gallons of oil, now we have spent about 13,000 gallons,” explained Medardo Vite Zeta, president of the National Association of Fishing Shipowners (ANAP) of Law 26920.

It should be noted that the global fishing quota is shared between the wooden and metal fleets; The second, which is the most numerous, is represented by the National Fisheries Society (SNP), whose president, Eduardo Ferreyros, told this medium that due to the nine months of strike, around US$1.2 billion in fishmeal and fish oil were no longer exported, and many of its members were on the verge of bankruptcy.

“The sector has been the hardest hit in 2023 and that was recognized by the former Minister of Economy when it launched (in November) its package of 25 measures to reactivate the economy, but none were aimed at boosting the sector,” Ferreyros said.

Another unusual consequence was that, for the first time in 39 years, the value of exports of direct human consumption (US$1,707 million)—which involves fresh, canned and frozen marine resources—was greater than that of indirect human consumption or anchovy (US $1,164 million), according to an analysis of Oceana Peru.

atypical season

Although the industrial sector has high expectations about the first fishing season, the experts consulted agree that there is still uncertainty in this regard.

“It is not going to be a normal or abundant season. Oceanographic conditions more or less remain the same (with high temperatures). It is expected that it will be until April or May. And then we are supposed to enter a transition phase towards a Niña,” says Juan Carlos Sueiro, director of Fisheries at Oceana Peru, and adds that this will have two effects: it will make the anchovy rise more to the surface and disperse, which will involve longer trips to reach it.

In that line, Gino Passalacquaan oceanographer specialized in climate and fisheries, warns that it must be taken into account that the entry and exit of oceanic masses will have an impact on the feeding of the anchovy.

“It is not only a matter of availability of the resource, but also the state in which it will be, whether the anchovy is going to have a high fat content or not. And that translates to how much oil you extract and how much you earn for it,” she details.

Likewise, he states that the anchovy stock has definitely suffered considerable stress due to The boy and fishing pressure during 2023, but more precise results should be revealed when the Imarpe scientific cruise, which began on February 16, ends.

Passalacqua says that not everything is negative, since there is a high probability that since July the weather conditions will normalize and there could be a second profitable season that balances the balance.

five miles

Although artisanal fishing does not generate millions of foreign currency, it is responsible for bringing fresh food to Peruvian families, and despite its relevance, six months have already passed since the deadline to publish the regulations of Law 31749, which expired. prioritizes this activity in the five miles, and that means that for the first time in 30 years the General Fishing Law will be updated.

Produce had informed the fishermen’s unions that it would publish the pre-regulation on February 21, but it has not complied. Sector sources warn that they would like to manipulate the definitions of what is artisanal and smaller-scale fishing, since the latter has always been considered artisanal despite the fact that their boats use motors and a mechanized purse seine network. The law says that they must operate after three miles; However, they oppose it. This medium requested information from Produce for this report, but they refused to participate.

The key to everything: anchovy

Approach. Patricia Majluf, Biologist and former Vice Minister of Fisheries

In my opinion, they should not have opened the second fishing season (in 2023), but there was a lot of pressure from the industry. Now there is also very strong pressure from the industry to change the minimum capture size and to no longer call those animals measuring 12 centimeters juveniles. The resource is maturing earlier, but it does not necessarily mean that this population is already adult.

Lowering the minimum size can be very counterproductive (for biomass), the fact that there are more juveniles should be a reason for study by the authorities (Imarpe and Produce). Two symptoms of overfishing are a smaller reproductive size and a large proportion of juveniles.

Unfortunately, the Ministry of Fisheries is included within the Ministry of Production; Therefore, fishing will never be the priority. It will always be the second, third or fourth wheel of the car.

In this context, I consider that the precautions that should be taken to protect the anchovy are not being taken, especially in conditions like this, with an entire year with El Niño, with hot waters, with many juveniles, and that it is just when The greatest possible caution must be taken.

The anchovy is what makes it possible to take advantage of this great energy that is generated in the ecosystem of the humboldt current. Without it, the ecosystem does not function as it should, it is the key element. But those who are dedicated to its extraction and exploitation do not like to hear that.

Reactions

Medardo Vite Zeta – president of ANAP

“The Impulse program (Myperu) never arrived. We have heard that the Government has allocated a new amount with a guarantee, so we hope that the fishing sector will receive something. “We don’t lose hope.”

Eduardo Ferreyros – president of the SNP

“I am waiting for the results (from Imarpe on biomass) to be positive. Industrial fishing needs to have a first season, if scientifically the conditions are in place.”

Juan Carlos Sueiro – Oceana Peru Fisheries Director

“Without a doubt, the capture of anchovy is the most regulated fishery. But in recent years a greater proportion of juveniles has begun to become evident and that is an issue that the authorities must address.”