Fishing industry in Peru
Chart of Peru's total catch of fish, including aquaculture, from 1960 to 2021 | |
| General characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Coastline | 2,414 km (1,500 mi) |
| EEZ area | 857,000 km2 (331,000 sq mi) |
| Lake area | 5,220 km2 (2,020 sq mi) |
| Land area | 1,279,996 km2 (494,209 sq mi) |
| MPA area | 66,311 km2 (25,603 sq mi) *designated, only about 3,970 km2 (1,530 sq mi) fully implemented/protected |
| Employment | Between 160,000 and 232,000 (2013) |
| Fishing fleet | Large-scale: 661 Small-scale: 9,667 (2010) |
| Consumption | 21.4 kg (47 lb) fish per capita (2007) |
| Fisheries GDP | US$473 million (2006) |
| Export value | US$2.335 billion (2008) |
| Import value | US$60.6 million (2008) |
| Harvest | |
| Wild inland | 43,000 tonnes (47,000 tons) (2007) |
| Aquaculture total | 43,000 tonnes (47,000 tons) (2008) |
| Fish total | 7,353,000 tonnes (8,105,000 tons) (2008) |
Fishing in Peru has existed for thousands of years, beginning as small fishing communities who lived off the ocean. By the 1400s, these communities became organized under the Inca Empire, and they developed, or had already developed, economic specialization.
Fishing and fisheries did not develop economically until post-World War II. Economic development came as a result of the fishmeal industry, which largely depended on fishing Peruvian anchovetas. The industry allowed the economy to expand and, by the 1960s, Peru became the largest single-species fishery in the world; however, the industry collapsed in the 1970s as a result of the 1972 Peruvian anchoveta crisis, triggered primarily by overfishing and an El Niño event.
A state-owned corporation, Pesca Perú, was created to take over the commercial fishing industry after its collapse. The corporation would continue its control over the industry until reprivatization efforts emerged in 1991 and concluded in 1998. Another El Niño event in 1998 disrupted landings again and caused several companies to go bankrupt due to the shortage of landings.
Fishing continues as a major sector of the economy of Peru. In 2008, the sector fished over 7.3 million tonnes of aquatic resources, from both the Pacific Ocean and from inland waters. Most recently, in 2022 the sector fished over 5.5 million tonnes of aquatic resources. It is also the largest fishmeal producer, surpassing the European Union's production by over 50,000 tonnes in 2018. As the largest fishmeal and fish oil producer, it typically accounts for between one-fourth and one-third of global trade. Aquaculture is another industry that has seen major development and growth, expanding from just about 6,500 tonnes in 2000 to over 140,000 tonnes in 2022. The fishing industry in Peru is a major source of employment, providing over 121,000 with jobs in 1999, over 145,000 in 2007, somewhere between 160,000 and 232,000 jobs in 2013, and supporting about 700,000 jobs in 2021, as stated by The Economist.
Several governmental and non-profit organizations exist that play a major role in the Peruvian fishing industry, whether through creating and enforcing regulations, funding projects and programs, collecting data, or other activities.