• 3 min de lectura
• 3 min de lectura
The Ministry of Production (Produce) is evaluating a set of contingency measures to mitigate the effects that the El Niño phenomenon and anomalous swells are generating in fishing activity, especially in the industrial sector linked to anchovy capture for indirect human consumption.
This was stated by the head of Produce, César Manuel Quispe Luján, during his participation in the press conference held this morning, Wednesday, June 24, by the Ministerial Cabinet to report on risk reduction, preparation, and response measures for the El Niño phenomenon.
He maintained that the first anchovy fishing season remains suspended while awaiting the next report from the Multisectoral Committee in charge of the National Study of the El Niño Phenomenon (Enfen), scheduled for the end of June.
"We are monitoring and waiting for a final report from Enfen, which should be available at the end of the month, to make decisions regarding the continuity or not of this first 2026 season," he stressed.
The minister explained that the sector's situation was recently addressed in a Cabinet meeting, where it was agreed to advance in the elaboration of a contingency plan aimed at the actors who could be most affected by the paralysis of extractive activities.
Quispe Luján specified that among the measures being analyzed are financial support mechanisms for companies and workers linked to fishing activity. In this regard, he indicated that he has already held conversations with union representatives of the sector to evaluate alternatives such as credit lines with grace periods and deferred amortization schemes.
"We are going to prepare a contingency plan to help the affected sector, especially the industrial sector and workers," he asserted.
The head of Produce also stated that this sector works in coordination with the Peruvian Sea Institute (Imarpe) to identify fishing opportunities derived from oceanographic changes associated with the warming of marine waters.
César Manuel Quispe explained that the presence of warmer waters favors the entry of species different from the usual ones, which could open new alternatives for artisanal fishing.
"We are analyzing, together with Imarpe, what the opportunistic fisheries are, because warm waters also bring other species, and we want artisanal fishing, in particular, to be able to take advantage of this," he noted.
The minister added that the monitoring of marine conditions is permanent and that in the coming weeks, the approval of special guidelines is expected to facilitate the exploitation of these emerging species.
Fishing activity is one of the economic sectors most sensitive to oceanographic variations caused by the El Niño phenomenon. The evolution of sea conditions and the scientific recommendations of Enfen will be decisive in defining the future of the current anchovy fishing season and the support measures that the Government will implement.
