The fish issue in Peru

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  The fish issue in Peru

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Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

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• The great food game: In the great Bay of Paracas, seabirds, flamingos, pelicans all take advantage of a food chain centred on great shoals of anchoveta (Pacific anchovies), which in turn feed on the nutrient-rich plankton provided by the upwelling of the cold Humboldt current along much of Peru’s coastline of 2,500 km. These riches have given the country one of the world’s great fisheries, the third-biggest after China and Indonesia. Exports of fishmeal, oil and frozen and canned fish are worth around $3bn a year. All told, the fishing industry supports around 700,000 jobs. And fresh fish and seafood are at the heart of Peruvian cuisine, one of the world’s tastiest.
• Today's problems: Peru has many problems at the moment. The pandemic has hit it hard. It is suffering political instability that a presidential run-off election next month is unlikely to resolve. But sustainably managing the country’s marine resources is a vital medium-term task. It is also a matter of current dispute.

1. Recently, the government of Francisco Sagasti, the president, published a draft decree to establish a marine reserve, known as the Nazca Ridge. 
2. It would cover an area of the Pacific about the size of Latvia 100 km offshore that contains a submerged mountain range up to 4kms down. 
3. This undersea massif is a refuge for endangered species, such as the loggerhead turtle, sharks, orcas and the blue whale, as well as yellowfin tuna and swordfish.
4. Environmentalists have pushed for this for years. Peru has been a pioneer in managing the anchoveta fishery. In 2009 it introduced a transferable quota system. But Peru was a laggard in creating marine protected areas. 
5. Under the international Convention on Biological Diversity, it signed up to a target of protecting 10% of its seas by 2020. But so far it has only designated four small coastal reserves (Paracas, the first, dates from 1975). That contrasts with a regional average in Latin America of almost a quarter.

• Devil lies in details: The Nazca Ridge covers 7.3% of Peruvian waters. Both environmentalists and the fishing industry back it in principle. But a big row has broken out over the details. Article 5 of the draft decree separates the reserve vertically into two zones. It would allow commercial fishing for the first kilometre below the surface and ban it below that, with one exception: a single family with six boats would be allowed to continue deep-sea long-lining for Patagonian toothfish, as that family has done for a dozen years. The fishing industry has pushed for Article 5. 
• Article 5: For some environmentalists Article 5 pre-empts a scientific discussion about the management of the reserve. For others it undermines the whole point of it. International experience shows that banning all fishing in an area leads stocks to regenerate and quickly increases catches nearby. And enforcement is easier if all boats are prohibited. The problem is that Peruvian law recognises prior rights, even in protected areas. Officials are worried that a total ban would be legally unenforceable. “You have to allow a very small amount of activity to protect a very large area,” says a senior official. 
• Summary: An imperfect reserve may be the most it can manage before it leaves office on July 28th. Yet the issues at stake will surely recur. According to some scientists, climate change is likely to lead to fewer anchoveta. Peru should find a way to organise watertight reserves. Private property rights cannot be as absolute over the fish in the sea as they are on land.

Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

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