A recent technical assessment by the Humboldt Institute of Marine and Aquaculture Research (IHMA) reveals that, based on data analyzed over the past 20 years, marine birds and sea lions in the Paracas National Reserve (PNR), located on Peru's southern coast, coexist harmoniously with industrial fishing. The reserve is a key area for marine biodiversity.

The study, titled Environmental Diagnosis of the Paracas National Reserve: Oceanography, Biodiversity, and Fisheries, states that species like the Guanay cormorant, Peruvian booby, and pelican exceed an average of two million individuals annually, while the sea lion population has been growing in recent years.

The report, prepared by Peruvian scientists, highlights that industrial anchovy fishing operates under a rigorous regulatory framework with high monitoring and control standards. In this regard, the real threat to the reserve is the uncontrolled growth of illegal and informal fishing, as well as the oversizing of the artisanal fleet.

IHMA director Jennifer Vilches commented that the main threats to the Paracas reserve's ecosystem come from illegal and informal activities within the reserve itself, such as the use of explosives, hunting of turtles and birds, and the extraction of resources without sanitary traceability. These activities primarily occur in coves like Mendieta and Laguna Grande.

"This situation, along with sanitation problems in Paracas Bay, poses a challenge to the sustainability of fishery resources in the area," she noted.

Vilches stated that, in particular, Independencia Bay, where artisanal fishing, aquaculture, tourism, and human settlements converge, has been identified by the IHMA as the area with the highest anthropogenic pressure in the entire reserve.

"This study reinforces the need to make environmental management decisions based on scientific evidence, especially when food security and employment in Peru's coastal regions are at stake. Ultimately, the goal is for the Paracas reserve to be an example of integrated management for other marine protected areas in Latin America and the world," Vilches concluded.

Download the study here (in Spanish).