April 24, 2006

 

Peru sets 3-million-tonne anchovy quota for March-July

 

 

Peru has set a quota of 3 million tonnes of anchovy for the March to July fishing season, Production Minister David Lemor said late Thursday (Apr 20) in a statement.

 

That includes the 751,000 tonnes caught during an exploratory fishing season that took place in the end of March and the start of April.

 

The government said that the quota will be 1,125,000 tonnes from May 2 until that amount is reached, and then another 1,125,000 tonnes from Jun 6 until that amount is caught.

 

The government normally opens a fishing season in the first part of the year, then closes it to protect fish stocks. It usually opens a second fishing season in the last months of the year.

 

Peru places regular bans when juvenile fish are found to protect the anchovy stocks.

 

Lemor said that the total biomass of anchovy is estimated at 8.0 million tonnes, with 7.6 million tonnes in the northern and central regions and the rest in the southern region.

 

Last year, the biomass was 12.5 million tonnes, with 10.5 million tonnes found in the northern and central regions.

 

The total anchovy haul was 8.5 million tonnes in 2005.

 

Peru is the world's largest producer and exporter of anchovy-based fishmeal, which is used mainly as an animal feed.