• 3 min de lectura
• 3 min de lectura
A scientific and fishing fleet of 20 vessels will deploy off the Peruvian coast to gain a more precise understanding of the status of anchovy, jumbo squid, and other pelagic resources, in an operation led by the Peruvian Sea Institute (Imarpe), an agency attached to the Ministry of Production (Produce), in a scenario marked by the El Niño phenomenon 2026-2027.
The Hydroacoustic Evaluation Cruise of Anchovy and Other Pelagic Resources Cr. 2609-10, scheduled for September-October, will allow for the estimation of the biomass, spatial distribution, and population structure of anchovy and other resources; in addition to collecting information on their biological conditions and the environmental characteristics of the Peruvian sea.
Produce indicated that these results will strengthen scientific evaluation and support fisheries management decisions.
The participation of the national fishing fleet will significantly expand geographical coverage and sampling effort, with simultaneous operations in different sectors of the coast.
Of the total accredited vessels, 15 belong to the National Fisheries Society (SNP) and five to the National Association of Fishing Vessel Owners (ANAP) under Law 26920. From the SNP, the EP Andes 53 and EP Tasa 427 will be equipped with Imarpe's Simrad scientific echosounders to conduct acoustic and oceanographic sampling in the north-central and southern zones, complementing the information obtained by the BIC Luis Flores Portugal.
The EP Inca 3, a bottom trawler vessel, will also participate, operating mainly in the north-central zone; in addition to nine vessels for biological sampling and verification hauls and three contingency units for eventual operational replacements.
"We are expanding the research effort to obtain a much more complete vision of what is happening in our sea," said Martín Salazar, scientific manager of Imarpe.
"The coordinated participation of the vessels will allow for covering larger areas, increasing the number of samples, and field-testing the information recorded by the acoustic equipment. This strengthens the scientific evidence we need to guide fisheries management decisions," he added.
Hydroacoustic records will be contrasted through targeted fishing hauls over the detected schools, allowing for the identification of present species and improving the accuracy of estimates. The samples will allow for determining the composition of catches, size structure, reproductive condition, presence of juveniles, and biological status of anchovy and other pelagic resources.
The cruise will also collect environmental and ecosystem information, including observations on the relationship between resources and their environment; in addition to plankton and ichthyoplankton samples.
This evaluation will also consider jumbo squid or giant squid, whose records will complement the scientific knowledge generated by Imarpe in previous specific operations, such as Calamar V, and contribute to a better understanding of its distribution in the face of current oceanographic conditions.
"In a dynamic environmental scenario, it is not enough to know how much resource exists. We also need to know where it is, how it is distributed, what size structure it presents, and what its biological and environmental characteristics are. This information reduces uncertainty and provides better elements for management decisions," explained Martín Salazar.
The five vessels accredited by ANAP will support prospecting and biological sampling activities in the Talara-Chicama, Chicama-Huacho, and Huacho-Callao sectors, according to the planned routes of the cruise.
With this deployment, Imarpe will increase the coverage, spatial resolution, and representativeness of scientific information on resources and the marine environment. The results will constitute an input for fisheries management decisions and the sustainable use of resources, particularly in the face of the El Niño phenomenon 2026-2027.
