Fishing pressure impacts on anchovy and hake off Peru

Abstract

The Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis ringens) is a small pelagic fish. It is the largest singlespecies fishery in the world and it is used mainly for the production of fishmeal and fish oil. The Peruvian hake (Merluccius gayi) is a predatory demersal fish that is valued for direct human consumption, mainly as frozen products. In this study, I compared the response of both species to certain fishing mortality scenarios using a climatological set-up of the multispecies model OSMOSE for the northern Humboldt Current System. I observed that hake landings benefit from a decreased fishing pressure. In addition, the resilience of the anchovy fishery may increase if a higher threshold for their minimum catch size was implemented. The results of this study provide insights into better management strategies that could be beneficial for the two species based on their life-strategies.