IMARPE concludes fishery-biological survey of anchovy

PERU
Wednesday, January 15, 2020, 06:00 (GMT + 9)

The results of the operation will allow the Ministry of Production (PRODUCE) to take measures to order the said fishing resource.

In order to determine the distribution and biological-fishery aspects of the anchovy in the Peruvian sea, the Institute of the Sea of Peru (IMARPE) conducted between January 4 and 11, a biological-fishery survey of anchovy (Engraulis ringens) in the area between Isla Lobos de Tierra and Ilo, on board the vessels: BIC Luis Flores Portugal, Imarpe V and Imarpe IV.

Fifteen IMARPE specialists in acoustics, remote sensing and fishing gear, and research in pelagic resources, carried out this survey, aimed at estimating the structure by size of the main pelagic species - especially of anchovy -, representing their distribution and concentration, determining its size structure, the evolution of its reproductive process, as well as analyzing the evolution of environmental conditions.

The acoustic study developed on board included the use of scientific echo sounders in order to obtain distribution and concentration measurements of the anchovy resource. With regard to the investigations of the fishing area, hauls of mid-water trawl nets were carried out, for the verification of acoustic targets and to provide a high representativeness of biological samples.

Furthermore, the biology specialists carried out biometric and biological sampling, collection of otoliths and stomachs of the collected coastal species. These samples  will be analyzed in IMARPE laboratories to obtain information related to age-growth and trophic ecology, respectively.

Likewise, during the fishing hauls performed on board the scientific research vessels, the oceanography staff carried out activities to record sea surface temperature data. Launches of CTD were made, to obtain water samples at a specific depth, whose analysis will have information on salinity, nutrients, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll “a” and phytoplankton, indicators of importance, associated with the presence of said resource .

The study also included activities on land and in IMARPE laboratories aimed at the detection of schools using the Echoview program, multi-frequency analysis for the identification of ecotraces, the recording of information in acoustic logs for the different emission frequencies, as well as the elaboration of thematic maps of distribution and concentration of the predominant species.

Once the process is finished, IMARPE will prepare a technical report with the main results.

It should be noted that this survey was carried out in order to recommend to the Ministry of Production the appropriate regulatory measures for the anchovy fishery.

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