PARENT SESSION
Symposium 2
Moderated by: Durand, Jorge,
Tuesday, January 10 / Martes, 10 de Enero, 2:00 - 3:30 pm, Gran Salon, Level 1, Holiday Inn

Management of the Peruvian anchoveta fisheries: A case study with global impacts.

Majluf , Patricia ^*,1, ¹ Cayetano Heredia University, Lima, Peru

ABSTRACT- The Peruvian industrial anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) fishery, with annual landings averaging 8 million MT (MMT), is the largest single species fishery in the world, comprising around 10% of annual global captures. Anchovetas are used almost exclusively for the production of fishmeal and fish oil and account for 30% and 25% of the total fishmeal and fish-oil trade in the world respectively. After mining, it is the second most important source of foreign revenue for the country. Thus, current management of fisheries in Peru is largely undertaken considering the interests of the fishmeal industry, with little understanding of or concern for the impacts of this fishery on other sectors. Little has been said of the ecosystemic impacts of this fishery. The continuous removal of a large proportion of the biomass available for predators (up to 85%) may already be affecting the system′s trophic structure and resilience. Also, organic effluent from fishmeal factories cause eutrophication and disruption of the viability and resilience of marine species that use the bays where factories are located as spawning and nursing grounds. These species are exploited by the artisanal fisheries, which supply almost all the fish and shellfish used for direct human consumption in Peru. Finally, air emissions and odors from fishmeal plants cause skin and respiratory illnesses in neighboring populations and negatively impact tourism and other coastal commercial developments. Aquaculture′s contribution to total global fisheries landings by weight has grown from 5.3% in 1970 to 32.2% in 2000, dominating all other animal food-producing sectors. This growth is highly dependent on fishmeal and fish oil, consuming 53% and 86% of the world′s production respectively. At current use rates, annual production of fishmeal will be equal to demand in fish feed by 2020 (sooner for fish oil). Given this increasing demand, there are few incentives for politicians to seek reforms of current fishery practices. First we need to demonstrate and quantify the impacts of the industry on human and ecosystemic health and assess the costs in terms of human wellbeing and ecosystemic resilience. Only then will politicians understand the need (and suffer political pressure) to finally regulate the industry to reduce its impacts on the Peruvian Upwelling System.

SPANISH ABSTRACT- .