Currently, Peru has the great challenge of guaranteeing the sustainability of its seas. The best way to start is by setting maximum catch limits for all vessels in all fisheries. It is about combating the “tragedy of the commons”, in which, as they are everyone’s resources, they also belong to no one and this limits the actors taking care of them. By assigning maximum catch limits to each vessel, fishermen know that they can only fish a proportion of the global catch, and for the volume of that proportion to increase, they have to collaborate in the proper management of the resources.
On the other hand, Science and the establishment of quotas are key to achieving success, for example, the good management that is currently carried out of the anchovy that has allowed the recognition of fisheries management in Peru at an international level. In this sense, Imarpe is an organization of great national and international prestige, whose experience and professionalism guarantee the sustainability of the anchovy resource.
CHALLENGES
- Due to pollution that has an adverse effect on the functioning of ecosystems and biodiversity, and that also negatively affects small-scale fishing, there is currently a continuous deterioration of coastal waters
- On the other hand, despite their fundamental contributions to nutrition, food security and local livelihoods, many small-scale fishing communities remain marginalized
- Although there are instruments that support the management of plastic garbage originated by vessels at sea, there are no known protocols or standard procedures to attend to the daily management of garbage. Assessments of the costs and impacts of marine litter from tourism are limited to small, localized studies, thus requiring further research.
OPPORTUNITIES
- More and more companies are joining the fight against excess plastic in the oceans, through initiatives that range from the development of new biodegradable materials to replace plastic to the search for enzymes and organisms to degrade it. Other examples are sneakers and T-shirts made from disused fishing nets, biodegradable packaging and eco-friendly packaging.
- The Regional Seas Program of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) includes three initiatives in the region: the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region, the Convention for the Protection of the Environment. environment and the coastal zone of the Southeast Pacific and the Cooperation Agreement for the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Marine and Coastal Zones of the Northeast Pacific. The first two are implementing action plans against marine litter and the third is formulating a plan in this regard.
Finally, marine protected areas must be managed effectively and have sufficient resources and regulations that help reduce overfishing, pollution, and ocean acidification. Likewise, we believe that the generation of scientific information and better data, as well as the development of best practices, should be promoted.
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