The Ministry of Production (PRODUCE) of Peru authorized the start of the Second North-Central Fishing Season 2025 for anchovy and white anchovy destined for indirect human consumption in the maritime area between the northernmost point of the national maritime domain and 16°00'S, with a "provisional" quota of only 500,000 tons.
 

This figure is unusually low for the most productive area of ​​the Peruvian fishing sector, which contributes the majority of the national catch and is key to the country's economic engine
 

According to industry sources consulted by Infobae Peru, it will be very difficult for the provisional quota for this 2025 North-Central Second Season to be subsequently increased beyond 1.5 million tons, due to the poor response from nature. "The Eureka project is only to understand the distribution and structure; it's not useful for changing the biomass data," said another source.
 

However, the first 2025 season, which has a greater weight in the total volume, also had problems. Last July, the first North-Central 2025 campaign concluded early with 2.47 million tons, equivalent to 82.6% of the established quota of 3 million, after detecting more than 600,000 tons of juvenile fish, despite the fact that PRODUCE and IMARPE had announced it as a “historic campaign”.
 

PRODUCE: Second North-Central 2025 Season begins on November 7
The new Ministerial Resolution No. 00368-2025-PRODUCE establishes that only registered and authorized industrial vessels may participate in the fishing operations, which will begin at 00:00 hours on November 7, 2025

Unlike previous years, the document does not include precise information on the biomass reported by IMARPE or the percentages of juveniles present in the stock . This absence could indicate that recent studies in the Peruvian sea revealed a low biomass and a high proportion of juveniles, unfavorable conditions for expanding the quota, according to other sources in the sector.

Anchovy: Industrial fishing faces minimum quota for the second North-Central 2025 season
Among other details, the season will feature the exclusive participation of industrial vessels in compliance with regulations, under mandatory satellite control and monitoring. Fishmeal and fish oil processing plants will not be able to receive raw materials from unauthorized fleets or those with exhausted quotas.
 

Infractions will be sanctioned in accordance with the General Fisheries Law. The General Directorate of Supervision, Inspection, and Sanctions will be in charge of operational monitoring, and IMARPE will report on the evolution of the fishery and the presence of juveniles in the stock.

The anchovy is considered the absolute pillar of Peruvian fishing, fundamental not only for its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and exports—especially as fishmeal and fish oil—but also for its role in the marine food chain and the employment it generates.

In addition, the abundance of the resource supports activities linked to tourism—as in the Paracas National Reserve, where there is currently a controversy surrounding industrial fishing in Protected Natural Areas (PNAs)—and to the coastal ecosystem, reaffirming its central place in Peru's national economy.