Peru's total anchovy catch is 2.5 million metric tons in just 40 days

Catch totals recorded so far in Peru’s first anchovy fishing season have already exceeded 2 million metric tons (MT) in the country’s North-Central zone, comprising 82 percent of the total allowable catch (TAC).That catch total was registered just 40 days after the 16 April season launch, for which the Peruvian Production Ministry (PRODUCE) established a TAC of 2.48 million MT – significantly higher than the North-Central zone’s two seasons in 2023.With the industry inching toward the TAC, it is preparing to slow production. Luis Icochea, the former director of the Peruvian Sea Institute (Imarpe) and a professor at La Molina Agrarian University said Peru’s industrial anchovy fishery slowing its catch rate demonstrates it respects limits to avoid overfishing or resource depredation.“It is most likely that the industrial fleet will reach 100 percent of the assigned quota in the coming days, which will allow this sector to recover,” he said. “It has been hit hard in recent years as ...