Yale and Columbia Universities Highlight Peru as the Top Fishing Performer in South America

Yale and Columbia Universities have released the Environmental Performance Index 2024 (EPI 2024), a report created by the scientific centers of these institutions with the support of the McCall MacBain Foundation. The report recognizes Peru as one of the top fishing nations globally, particularly highlighting its status as the best-performing country in South America.

According to the report, Peru stands out among the world's major fishing countries, with its success largely attributed to the management of its anchovy population, which is primarily used for fishmeal production.

The report also notes that in 2009, the Peruvian government implemented bold policy changes to enhance the sustainability of its anchovy fishery, such as adopting a rights-based approach that allocated fishing quotas to various companies and even dismantling around a quarter of the Peruvian fishing fleet (World Bank 2017).

Today, the anchovy fishery is sustainably managed, and its population has recovered, though it is threatened by rising ocean temperatures (Stokstad 2022).

It is worth noting that Peru is among the world's largest fish producers, alongside countries like China, India, Indonesia, the United States, Russia, and Vietnam, which together account for nearly 60 percent of global fish and aquaculture production (FAO 2022).

FAO Recognition

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has congratulated Peru, with the organization's Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Manuel Barange, highlighting the improvements Peru has made in recent years in managing its anchovy fishery, which is primarily used for indirect human consumption (IHC) through the production of fishmeal and fish oil.

The FAO official acknowledged the scientific work of Imarpe, emphasizing the crucial role it plays in monitoring fish resources, which allows for the optimal timing of resource extraction and the establishment of quota levels without compromising sustainability.

"This approach considers various environmental factors and fish population quality. The almost immediate response makes management more effective, and that's where we commend the Government of Peru and the Instituto del Mar del Perú (Imarpe)," said Manuel Barange, FAO's Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture.