October 16, 2006

Peru's fishmeal output down 44.4 percent on-year in August

Peru's fishmeal production fell 44.4 percent to 2,000 tonnes in August, due to a ban on fishing, the Ministry of Production said in a report Friday (Oct 13).

Peru is the world's largest producer and exporter of fishmeal, used chiefly as animal feed. Peru regularly imposes bans on anchovy fishing to protect the stocks based on findings from the scientific research agency, Imarpe.

This year, it set a three million tonne anchovy quota for the March to July fishing season. That quota was reached in June and fishing essentially closed to allow for spawning.

The new fishing season is expected to open in early November, according to local press reports Friday.

The anchovy haul, used to make fishmeal, reached 8,400 tonnes in August, also down 44.4 percent from the same month a year earlier.

The total fish haul was 85,500 tonnes in August, up 17.9 percent compared with August 2005.

Meanwhile, Peru exported 64,400 tonnes of fishmeal in August, compared with 222,300 tonnes in the same month a year earlier.

Peru's overall fish exports brought in US$124.2 million in August compared with US$166.1 million in August 2005.