Peruvian fishing and processing company Pesquera Exalmar posted a 70 percent increase in fourth quarter earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), helped by higher catches and favorable fishmeal and fish oil prices.

EBITDA came in at $117 million (€102.3 million), up from $69 million (€60.1 million) a year earlier.

Sales climbed 46 percent, to $397 million (€346 million) as the company processed 19 percent more fish (865,800 metric tons) than in the same quarter a year earlier.

The second anchovy season in Peru's key north-central waters ended on Jan. 15 with 99 percent of the 2.047 million metric-ton quota landed.

Exalmar's quota share of that total was 16.6 percent, or 339,802 metric tons.

The company's vessels landed 100 percent of this.

The harvesting of almost all the 2.047 million-metric-ton anchovy quota is expected to do little to upset the stability currently seen in global fishmeal markets.