Supporting fisheries supply chain actors towards the sustainability of Peru’s most important fisheries

The overarching goal of the strategy is to contribute to Peru’s transition towards the sustainable management of priority fisheries, by reducing illegal and destructive fishing practices, while providing for local livelihoods and safeguarding biodiversity. To achieve this goal, the strategy will rely on two main pillars of activity; one focused on improving the sustainability, traceability and management of three of the country’s most important fisheries – anchoveta, giant squid and mahi mahi; and the other focused on preserving biodiversity through targeted actions to protect marine turtles, cetaceans and sharks. By focusing efforts on these fisheries and these high conservation value taxa, WWF-Peru aims to have the greatest possible impact on improving marine ecosystem health and balance, promoting sustainable livelihoods for those who depend on this ecosystem. Peru’s giant squid and mahi mahi fisheries are mainly artisanal fisheries. While this is positive in the sense that it promotes livelihoods for individuals in coastal communities, management of these small-scale fisheries is challenging, and the majority of the individuals involved in these fisheries are working outside of any social safety net and without any regulations in place to protect their own safety or the resources upon which their livelihoods depend. WWF helps coordinate the mahi mahi and jumbo squid fisheries improvement programmes, therefore WWF works hand-in-hand with fishing communities, processing plants, as well as the government agencies responsible for their management. WWF-Peru’s engagement with fisheries also includes the creation, testing and wider dissemination of the Fishing Traceability System TrazApp designed to allow complete traceability in Peruvian fisheries; an enhanced bycatch monitoring system; and the implementation of methods to reduce turtle and cetacean bycatch. WWF draws from lessons learned in other fisheries around the globe and the latest studies and technology to trial and implement remote electronic monitoring (REM) methods devised for artisanal fisheries, and innovative bycatch reduction methods such as the use of pingers for cetaceans, and LED devices on nets for turtles. The resulting enhanced traceability and ability to demonstrate bycatch reduction measures will help Peruvian fisheries to meet the increasingly demanding fisheries import standards of the United States, EU, and Asia – an outcome motivates fishers, exporters, and government agencies to participate in WWF’s proposed activities. Because bycatch has been shown to be the most prevalent human threat to cetaceans and turtles around the globe and in Peru, the fisheries bycatch monitoring and mitigation measures also form a major component of the strategy to preserve biodiversity and protect these two taxa. Additional measures to protect turtles will include community outreach and education in schools and coastal communities. The proposed work also builds on work that is already underway and/or work that has been shared with partner organizations. In this way, WWF-Peru hopes to maximize its effectiveness and impact and complement and strengthen the work of other stakeholders with the same important goals of maintaining biodiversity and sustainable livelihoods.