September 20, 2018 — During the last century Peru’s anchovy biomass reached its highest level in 25,000 years, according to Francois Gerlotto, a researcher with France’s Institute for Development Research (IRD).
The message is that “we are at a high level of productivity and that we must adapt to climate variability”, said the French scientist during his presentation at the Marine Sustainability Conference, organized by Peru’s National Fisheries Society.
“While it is true that we must reduce fishing pressure when biomass is at low levels, we must not believe that this will solve everything, because there are other variables that must be taken into account to ensure the sustainability of the sea,” he said.
Gerlotto also said that “the solution is not to stop fishing to protect the ecosystem, but to produce food more efficiently”, echoing the words of recently re-elected International Coalition of Fishing Associations (ICFA) president Javier Garat.
Gerlotto, who is also a member of the Scientific Committee of the Regional Organization of Fisheries Management of the South Pacific (OROP-PS), reported that this institution has proposed the creation of a working group to monitor the habitat of fishing resources.
In that sense, he considered that the possible return of some species, such as horse mackerel and sardine, that are not present in Peruvian waters currently, will depend on the conditions of their habitat.