Anchovy fishery. (Photo: Produce)
Supreme Decree 005, issued in 2012, to promote anchovy sustainability and increase consumption, has not been successful. The main objective of the standard has not been achieved and the result was the opposite, concludes a study submitted by economist Elmer Cuba, Macroconsult director.
That is, the consumption of the pelagic resource has plummeted after the implementation of the decree.
That is, the consumption of the pelagic resource has plummeted after the implementation of the decree.
"The gradual progress in 10 years fell sharply. By 2014 anchovy direct consumption is estimated at 30,000 metric tons, well below the 125,000 tonnes reached in 2011," explained Cuba.
During the discussion of document Analysis of Supreme Decree 005: two years later, organized by the University of the Pacific and the National Fisheries Society (SNP), it was demonstrated that the rule has generated no benefit to the fishing sector and to the resource.
On the contrary, it is causing serious damage to the canning and fishmeal sectors.
"[...] Illegal fishing has a significant presence and illegal fishmeal is exported in front of the authorities. Clearly the only beneficiaries are those who fish illegally. This is similar to what happens in drug trafficking and illegal mining," said the economist, according to the SNP.
Cuba pointed out another of the findings of Macroconsult study is the fact that when there is ocean warming, the effects of the rule are devastating for fishing, manufacturing and overall GDP.
For her part, SNP president, Elena Conterno, stressed that the Ministry of Production(PRODUCE) should evaluate how long the regulation will remain in effect.
"We all agree about the objectives of the DS 005, but public policies are not evaluated for their goals, but for their results," she stressed.
Besides she recalled that a year ago the Supreme Court has already decided that the DS 005 was untrue. And "today we see that it does not achieve results, either," she highlighted.
"We will give the report and conclusions of the discussion to the Minister of Production and the new Deputy Minister of Fisheries, and we hope that they can review the DS 005 and its surrogate, the DS 011, so that fishing is also part of the revival of our economy. We should not allow the fishing engine to continue turning off," she added.