FishSource

Peru mahi-mahi - longline (WWF) (FIP)

Access FIP Public Report

Last Updated: 2023-12-06

Progress Rating: A

Evaluation Start Date: 2015-06-30

Type: Comprehensive

Status: Active

FIP Lead: WWF USA (WU), WWF Peru (WP)

Stock Profile Link
Common dolphinfish - Eastern Pacific Ocean

Comments:

The last stage 4 result was reported within the past 12 months. The FIP remains A rated.

1. FIP Development	Jan 15	Fishery assessment or scoping document made public 1 January 2015 — MSC 2015 benchmark 31 December 2012 — MSC pre-assessment made public
2. FIP Launch	Apr 13	Confirmation of project participants 12 April 2013 — WWF is working with stakeholders to develop the FIP in its early stages 9 April 2013 — Santa Monica Seafood is providing funds to the FIP
2. FIP Launch	Oct 21	Workplan made public 5 October 2021 — Workplan update 2021-2023 1 December 2016 — Revised FIP Action Plan 2016 1 November 2013 — Action plan 2013-2015
3. FIP Implementation	Mar 24	FIP activities undertaken 29 March 2024 — The FIP participated in a management strategy evaluation workshop. 15 February 2024 — The Total Catch Maximum Limit of 45,000 tons was established for the October 2023-April 2024 fishing season; in February, PRODUCE increased the limit to 71,000 tons. 24 January 2024 — Law No. 31982 was enacted to address illegal fishing activities by incorporating and regulating the crime of illegal construction or modification of fishing vessels. 11 January 2024 — The FIP has completed their genetic study on mahi in the Eastern Pacific; the results of the study examine three genetic groups in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. 28 December 2023 — The process of formalizing artisanal vessels in Peru has made progress, with 930 vessels registered under the cooperative regime and 2489 under SIFORPA II by September 2023. 1 December 2023 — The implementation of the "Invterted T" pilot project is underway; the project is currently being implemented on 7 Peruvian vessels, recording 122 hauls on 11 fishing trips. 28 November 2023 — IMARPE conducted a training workshop for onboard observers in the Perico fishery in Paita focused on reducing bycatch and impacts on the ecosystem; the workshop hosted 19 participants from different regions. 29 September 2023 — A draft report has been produced on the assessment and performance of monitoring activities conducted by the FIP. 18 September 2023 — PRODUCE's Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy and Regulatory Analysis Line conducted virtual workshops to introduce the Fishing Management Regulation (ROP) for mahi mahi in the extractive sector, addressing topics related to fishing access, catch limits, conditions for activities, traceability, scientific observation, and ROP implementation. 1 September 2023 — The FIP has developed a guide for the identification of bycatch species in the fishery. 1 September 2023 — The FIP has developed a guide for the identification of bycatch species in the mahi fishery. 31 August 2023 — Ministerial Resolution N°00157-2023 issued publishing the approved list of authorized points for landing mahi. 29 August 2023 — IMARPE has released a physical logbook model for mahi-mahi fishers in an effort to study data during El Niño. 23 August 2023 — An official agreement was reached between WWF and PRODUCE to enable interoperability between SITRAPESCA and TrazApp. 7 August 2023 — The 101st IATTC meeting was held and a resolution was put forth to enhance research on mahi in the EPO. 22 June 2023 — The FIP has published an analysis of mahi samples collected during the 2022-2023 season donated by the Peru Mahi Alliance. The donated samples were identified as primarily adult individuals, with females ranging from 58 to 128 cm LH and males from 76 to 112 cm LH, displaying isometric growth, with males significantly heavier than females. 10 March 2023 — A proposal for a cooperation agreement was coordinated between WWF and DGSFS for the interconnection of SITRAPESCA and TrazApp and the promotion of GDST (Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability) standards. 2 March 2023 — The sixth binational meeting of the Peru-Ecuador joint committee between the Peru Mahi Alliance and Conservation Mahi was held. The meeting participants discussed the review of the workplan at Boston Seafood Expo. 1 March 2023 — A quota report of mahi-mahi landings has been made available; 81% of the established quota has been met as of February 2023. 12 February 2023 — The Peru Mahi Alliance has donated 76 samples of mahi-mahi to the mahi genomic characterization project between the October 2022- March 2023 season; 200 samples have been donated to date and the project remains ongoing. 15 November 2022 — The first training session on the identification of main incidental catch species and their registration in the TrazApp has been conducted with 12 crew members in the port of Matarani. 17 October 2022 — IMARPE has initiated a new census process; the census is being carried out with a team that will be deployed in 87 places distributed in the ten regions of the Peruvian coast. 16 October 2022 — The current binational mahi-mahi stock assessment methodology was presented at the IATTC meeting; scientific staff have recommended several improvements to the current methodology. 6 October 2022 — Ministerial resolution Nº 00334-2022-PRODUCE issued which establishes the maximum permissible catch for the 2022-2023 season. 31 August 2022 — WWF has sent a letter to the Director General for Policy and Regulatory Analysis in Fisheries and Aquaculture; the letter includes a proposal for guidelines for the handling and release of sea turtles in longline and curtain fisheries in Peru. 13 June 2022 — The report on conflict resolution in the artisanal fishing sector has been completed; the report details the mechanisms for complaints and resolution processes within the current administrative processes of the state. 26 May 2022 — The first Binational Committee meeting was held virtually in May 2022; the HCR continues to be discussed on an ongoing basis. 16 May 2022 — The 13th IATTC scientific advisory committee meeting was held to discuss the results of the genomic characterization project of mahi-mahi in the eastern pacific; 159 adult samples and 111 juvenile samples were taken from 4 sampling groups. More sampling is expected from the southern region of Peru. 6 April 2022 — N° 006-2022-PRODUCE/DGSFS-PA issuing a notice (to representatives of processing plants) that a virtual workshop will be held on the use of SITRAPESCA 30 March 2022 — Report on the technical specifications for the consultancy of conflict resolution and governance in the artisinal fishing sector 17 March 2022 — Binational workshop held on biological-fisheries research for the mahi-mahi 4 March 2022 — Mahi-mahi marking research project underway; the project will aim to address population information gaps via deployment of plastic labels and satellite labels for the collection of samples and information reporting 14 February 2022 — Nº 00018-2022-PRODUCE/DGSFS-PA issued allowing the remote electronic monitoring program SITRAPESCA to have greater interconnectivity to outside applications and systems like TrazApp. 1 February 2022 — FIP continues to use TrazApp for logbook data collection; presentation on TrazApp operations made available 1 September 2021 — COREMAHI Scientific research plan presented to IATTC 27 May 2021 — Letter from WWF Peru sent to the Directorate for Policy and Regulatory Analysis in Fisheries and Aquaculture, with the proposal for guidelines for the handling and release of sea turtles in the longline fishery 1 May 2020 — A monitoring project has been submitted for funding to the National Innovation Program in Fisheries and Aquaculture. A proposal for the second phase is being prepared. 1 May 2020 — A regional genetic project has been designed and is undergoing implementation. 30 September 2019 — The mobile app is being tested with boat owners as incentives have already being identified with them, but it is expected to develop an assessment to also identify incentives for boat owners to use the mobile app. 13 May 2019 — At the next SAC of the IATTC topics of discussions include reference points and harvest control rules. 31 March 2019 — A mobile app has been prepared by WWF which can be downloaded. A strategy for its implementation is sought to be developed. 9 November 2018 — Official information about inspections of shark landings was requested and the report received indicated compliance and no incidences of finning. 1 September 2018 — The Coastal Laboratory of Paita has designed a project for the mahi-mahi fishery monitoring, both of dependent information and independent of the fishery. 31 March 2018 — Results from the observer program are being reviewed to identify how to scale up the program to a wider amount of the fleet that can be representative. 31 March 2018 — Instructors have replicated training workshops for turtles reaching over 500 fishers but activities related to bird bycatch have not yet began. 30 March 2018 — A final version of the on-board monitoring project by IMARPE is being prepared, seeking for funding through fishing rights and looking at being implemented for the next mahi mahi season. 31 December 2017 — The design of the observer program was done by a local consultant. Committed fishermen will register and monitor events related to ETP species. ACOREMA prepared an on-board observer program as part of the Turtle Bycatch Reduction project for the mahi mahi 2017/2018 season. 31 December 2017 — The implementation of training workshops for turtles started in 2016 and is planned to be completed by the second quarter of 2017. Workshops have being held by SUBMON in different ports of Peru, in which around 150 instructors have being trained for marine turtles. Completed for turtles; Birds activities yet to be implemented. 24 July 2017 — July 2017 the IATTC approved a budget and 6 month timeline for the IATTC science staff to develop recommended reference points and HCRs, which will then be reviewed and hopefully adopted aby the member countries, including Peru. 30 April 2017 — Through the bi-national workshop held in April 2017 standarization of methodologies was sought to feed information into HCRs. 1 December 2016 — Definition of Stock Unit(s) 1 December 2016 — Development and implementation of harvest control rules 20 January 2016 — Key accomplishments 1 June 2014 — Development of monitoring procedures 1 February 2014 — Key accomplishments
4. Improvements in Fishing Practices and Fishery Management	Aug 23	Verifiable improvement in policy/management and fishing practices 29 August 2023 — Ministerial Resolution N°000288-2023 issued which establishes the use of the logbook approved by IMARPE for research-based (exploratory) fishing; landings obtained for research purposes will be counted towards the season's quota. 1 August 2023 — The FIP conducted an analysis of the TrazApp logbook and remote electronic monitoring camera data from the October 2022- April 2023 season. During this period, the target species constituted 96% of the total catch, while incidental species accounted for the remaining 4%. Incidental species mainly included sharks, rays, bony fish, seabirds, and marine turtles. 27 October 2021 — Increase in PI 3.1.1 & 3.1.2; based on FIP 3-year audit confirming effective national legal system and there is permanent cooperation with other parties at the level of regional organizations. 27 July 2021 — Mahi Mahi Fishery Ordinance Regulation (ROP) N°017 -2021- PRODUCE has been approved; maximum total catch limit declared 15 May 2018 — PRODUCE delivered fishing licenses to more than 500 vessels and 360 boat owners of two fishing cooperatives in the La Islilla and La Tortuga communities of Piura, representing approximately 20% of the mahi mahi and squid fleets. 1 December 2017 — Peru has developed a specific regulation for shark catches, where finning is prohibited and regulations are established for the maintenance of stocks. 29 August 2017 — New RISPAC (sanctions and inspections regulations for fisheries and aquaculture) was published. 1 May 2016 — Preliminary stock assessment developed by IATTC (May 2016) 1 May 2016 — Exploratory management strategy evaluation (MSE) for mahi-mahi (Coryphanena hippurus) in the Southeastern Pacific Ocean published by ICCAT (May 2016) 12 July 2014 — Mahi mahi closed season established by Ministry of Production 1 February 2014 — WWF and IMARPE finalized an agreement in which IMARPE will collect biological and catch data from the mahi mahi fishery in the ports of Paita and Pucusana for the remainder of the 2014 fishing season 1 October 2013 — Implementation of observer program 1 January 2013 — WWF Peru and IMARPE developed a log-book that was distributed to fishermen in Paita (one of the main-mahi ports)
5. Improvements on the Water	—	Verifiable improvement on the water
6. MSC certification (optional)	—	MSC certificate made public