Anchovy capture. (Photo: Produce)

Confirmed: no anchovy second season to take place

PERU
Tuesday, December 23, 2014, 23:50 (GMT + 9)

The Ministry of Production (PRODUCE) confirmed that a second season of anchovy will not start in the northern-central zone of the Peruvian coast.

As reported by the government, although there is a wider distribution of the resource, the assessed biomass and the juvenile specimen abundance blocked the allocation of a catch quota.

Therefore, PRODUCE will maintain the closure of the fishery "until the environmental conditions have returned to normal" and the pelagic resource evidences "frank recovery."

The presence of juvenile specimens would mainly be due to intense reproductive process that the anchovy has been developing in recent months as a strategy to overcome adverse environmental conditions.

As a result of the cumulative effect of Kelvin waves, there was an impact on the marine ecosystem and the abundance of food (plankton) decreased, which caused a considerable fall in anchovy availability.

Instituto del Mar del Peru (IMARPE) recommended maintaining the ban on anchovy fishing in the north-central region and intensifying monitoring at sea.

Last November, the Institute's scientists conducted a hydroacoustic assessment survey of pelagic resources and Operation Eureka LXVII, studies that confirmed that the anchovy habitat was inadequate and that the stock was formed mostly by juvenile specimens, reported the PRODUCE.

On the other hand, the president of the National Fisheries Society (SNP), Elena Conterno, commented it was predictable that the second fishing season would not start, as there is a large volume of juvenile specimens in the area.

However, she stated that those same volumes lead to the prediction that the next 2015 season -- which usually begins in April – will be good because the anchovy population will have the right sizes for capturing it.

Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Juan Carlos Requejo, also said that the abundance of juvenile fish "makes it hopeful" for the season to open in April 2015.

"On this last trip we found that the sea temperature is returning to normal and there is an abundance of juvenile specimens. That is contributing to feeling hopeful that there will be future adult biomass," the official told Andina news agency.

Meanwhile, it is expected that at least 10 of the 12 companies the union closed this year with similar losses as those last year, amounting to around PEN 242 million (USD 80.7 million), reported El Comercio.

Related article:

- Multimillion loss would result from not opening anchovy season

By Analia Murias
editorial@seafood.media
www.seafood.media

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