Fishing companies operating in Peru's key north-central fishing zone are racing against the clock to land the full 1.682 million metric ton anchovy quota.
Since the most recent update, catch rates have more than halved, and increased numbers of mini fishing bans aimed at protecting juvenile fish have been implemented, ratcheting up the pressure on vessel skippers and fishmeal companies already dealing with a much lower quota than normal and the cancelation of the first season in north-central waters.
"There are many areas closed to fishing, daily catches have fallen to an average of 10,000 tons a day," one industry source told IntraFish.
