Peru is one of the largest capture fisheries producers globally. In 2022, Peru produced 5.5 million tonnes (Mt) of fish, valued at USD 2 978 million, combining marine capture and aquaculture production. This represents 3% of global total fisheries and aquaculture production. Fish production in Peru largely consists of marine landings from capture fisheries along the Pacific coast, which represent 97.4% in volume and 84.8% in value. This would have made Peru the largest marine capture producer among OECD Members in terms of landings volume and the sixth largest producer by value.
Peru's fishing sector relies heavily on the Peruvian anchoveta (Engraulis ringens), which accounted for 77% of the country's total fish landings (by volume) and is the basis of its fishmeal and fish oil industry. Jumbo flying squid (Dosidicus gigas) and Chilean jack mackerel (Trachurus murphyi) followed, with shares of 8.5% and 3.1% respectively.
Aquaculture is a small share of production but a key area for future growth. Total aquaculture production in Peru was 140 930 t in 2022, accounting for a very small share of domestic fish production (2.6%), but it has increased 95% since 2012 when it was 72 292 t. Peru would have been the 14th largest aquaculture producer among OECD Member countries by volume and the 16th by value in 2022.
Fish production is an important employer, but as with other sectors of the economy informality remains an issue. In 2022, 128 011 people were employed in the fisheries and aquaculture sector in Peru. Fishing activities, both marine and inland capture fishing, had the largest share of employment, with 78 775 fishers (61.5%), followed by processing (29.6%) with 37 970 jobs and aquaculture (8.8%) with 11 266.
The fisheries governance system in Peru is driven by the Ministry of Production and the General Fisheries Law. Fisheries and aquaculture policies in Peru fall under the Ministry of Production (hereafter PRODUCE). which has exclusive competence over capture fisheries management and medium- and large-scale aquaculture. PRODUCE is supported by one public executing agency, the National Fund for Fishing Development, and three specialised independent technical agencies, the Institute of the Sea of Peru (IMARPE), the National Fisheries Health Agency and the Technological Institute of Production.
Regional governments play a key role in implementing fisheries and aquaculture policies, including the granting of fishing authorisations and fishing permits for artisanal fisheries and subsistence fishing, and oversight and monitoring of fishing activities, including data collection. Regional governments, however, face important challenges, mainly related to the lack of financial and human resources, which hampers their ability to effectively complete the tasks under their responsibility.
The vast majority of Peru’s capture fisheries production comes from healthy and productive stocks. Peru regularly assesses 30 fish stocks, of which the vast majority (97%) are above limits for biological sustainability and at levels that allow for productivity to be maximised (73%). In particular, the top five species by volume, which account for 91.5% of landings, are all sustainable and at levels that allow for maximising productivity.
Peru implements a dynamic and adaptive management system for anchoveta, and individual vessel quotas enhance the economic efficiency of this fishery. Peru implements a near real-time monitoring system to inform decisions around TAC volumes, and the dynamic temporal and spatial closures of the fishing season. Beyond anchoveta, many artisanal fisheries are subject to science-based management but informal fishing, and the illegal construction and alteration of fishing vessels, undermines its effectiveness.
Government support to fisheries in Peru is relatively high in absolute terms but less intense than the OECD average. Peru provided an average of USD 97 million annually in support of fisheries over the 2020‑2022 period. This would have made Peru the tenth-largest provider of fisheries support among OECD Member countries over the same period. The intensity of fisheries support in Peru, however, is significantly lower than the average OECD intensity of support relative to the value of landings, employment and fleet size. Just over half (51%) of fisheries support in Peru carried a risk of encouraging overfishing and illegal unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the absence of effective management in 2020‑2022 (with 2% having posed a high risk and 49% a moderate risk of doing so). This is largely in line with the OECD as a whole, albeit with a higher proportion of moderate risk support.
Peru has a comprehensive legal framework for the monitoring control and surveillance (MCS) of fishing activities, and implements electronic monitoring in both industrial and small-scale fleets. The General Fisheries Law is the overarching legal instrument governing MCS and the fight against IUU fishing and fishing-related activities. Peru has comprehensive registration and authorisation systems in place, covering all industrial fishing vessels and operators and artisanal fisheries. However, informality remains an important challenge in the artisanal fisheries segment, notably in remote coastal communities, but also in more developed segments of the fisheries sector. Peru also has a comprehensive monitoring and sanctioning regime, recently revised to strengthen controls over foreign-flagged vessels operating in Peruvian waters, a priority issue for Peruvian authorities. Nonetheless, effectiveness of sanctions has been challenged by policy decisions that grant amnesty or pardons to offenders and cancel or significantly reduce the payment of fines for offenders.
The policies used by Peru to manage the fisheries and aquaculture sectors have ensured they are healthy and productive, but challenges remain. For example, the anchoveta management systems are ‘worldclass’ and serve as an example on how to implement a dynamic and adaptive ocean management approach to fisheries. However, informality, a broader issue extending across the Peruvian economy, poses challenges to managing the sector at all levels. This report provides policy recommendations covering: the governance of the sector; fisheries management; government support to fisheries; monitoring, control and surveillance, and the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and; aquaculture. These recommendations aim to inform Peru’s future actions to improve the effectiveness of its fisheries and aquaculture policies, with a view to developing a stronger and resilient fisheries sector and promoting its long-term sustainability and productivity.
