September 23, 2013
Peru promotes measures to stop overfishing
Paul Phumpiu, Peru''s Deputy Minister of Fisheries, said the price of fish has been rising since 1995, such that during that year every kilogramme of bonito cost PEN3.50 (US$1.27) while today it is PEN12 (US$4.36).
"From the Ministry of Production (Produce) we have drawn attention to the aquatic product price indices reported by the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics and they reveal an increase that is much larger than the Consumer Price Index," he pointed out.
Phumpiu stressed that from his ministry they promote measures to stop overfishing, which has produced "interesting results, such as increased anchovy biomass that has reached almost its double level."
Therefore, he considered it was necessary to have the constant implementation of measures to protect aquatic resources. These actions have led to an increase from 5.3 million tonnes of anchovy to 10.8 million tonnes in a span of six to seven years, he stated.
He also highlighted the size structure: at present, the largest biomass is represented by 50% of juvenile anchovy, which in turn are reproducers.
The government intends to stop consumers from acquiring aquatic resources having smaller sizes and during the closed season, which interrupts the reproductive process of the species.
He also clarified that the price of marine resources could decrease in the coming days due to the expansion of the mackerel and horse mackerel catch quota.