Stock Assessment of the Peruvian Anchovy (Engraulis ringens) and Management of the Fishery

Abstract

The upwelling of cool nutrient-rich water makes the area off Peru one of the most productivein the world. The first major use of this resource was the production of guano. In 1957 the fishery for anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) for reduction to meal and oil began on a significant scale. Catches rocketed to 8 million tons by 1964 making Peru the country with the biggest catch of fish. Most of the production (averaging some 2 millions tons of meal) is exported, and fish meal is (with copper) one of the two biggest earners of foreign exchange in the Peruvian economy.Scientific studies of the resource, including collection of detailed statistical data of the fishery have been carried out from an early stage. Research has been facilitated by the setting up of the Instituto del Mar del Peru, with the assistance of UNDP and FAO. Studies of the population dynamics of anchoveta have shown that by 1965 the stock was being heavily exploited, and that under average conditions the sustainable yield was around 8–10 million tons, being higher when the bird population is low.Regulations to manage and conserve the stock include a closed season in the middle of the year when catches are low, and at the beginning of the year when small fish are abundant, and a limit to the total catch during a fishing season (September–August). However, regulations have not prevented development of great excess capacity in vessels and processing plants.During 1972 there was a severe crisis in the fishery, when there were unusual oceanographic conditions and an almost complete recruitment failure. Catches in the second half of the year had to be cut to nearly nothing. Hopefully the stock is now rebuilding, but these events emphasize the need to reduce the excess capacity, so as to improve the economic status of the industry and stability of the stock.