Peru explores the possibility of sustainable fisheries
Author:
First published in Sanctuary Asia,
Vol. 29
No. 10,
October 2009
 Peru exports an enormous quantity of anchovy - in excess of U.S. $17 billion in 2008. In August 2009, the government signed an agreement formalising the establishment of the first Peruvian Observatory to regulate its fishing industry, run by the Cayetano Heredia and del Pacifico universities, the Nature Conservancy, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and the Instituto del Mar Peruano.
The Observatory will provide free access to fisheries data to the scientific community and the general public, which will aid in improved implementation and enforcement of the “maximum established catch per boat" set by the government. The aim of the monitoring is to ensure the resilience of the anchovy population, and the sustainability of Peru's marine ecosystem.
