Around 300 people participated in the First International Virtual Symposium "Researching and innovating: looking for sustainability and resilience of Fisheries and Aquaculture in the Peruvian Amazon".

A great boost is being given to the fishing and aquaculture sector in the country, through the implementation of actions that promote innovation, sustainable production, and the resilience of aquatic ecosystems, based on solid and cutting-edge information.

With this perspective, the First International Virtual Symposium "Researching and innovating: looking for sustainability and resilience of Fisheries and Aquaculture in the Peruvian Amazon", organized by the Amazon Council for the Development of Aquaculture, Fisheries and SMEs in Peru (CADAP), with the support of WWF Peru, was held.

This productive sector, being one of the main affected by the Covid-19 health emergency, needs the joint effort of fishermen, producers, consumers, and decision-makers. In this sense, the Ministries of Production (PRODUCE) and Environment (MINAM), in coordination with the subnational regional governments that make up the CADAP, are laying the foundations to manage and make proposals that contemplate innovation in the production, sustainability and resilience of aquatic ecosystems, with evidence-based information.

The event took place virtually last Monday 17th, Wednesday 19th and Friday 21st of May and allowed us to know the advances in research and technological innovation as a fundamental edge towards sustainable management of fishing and aquaculture in the Peruvian Amazon, where around 80 thousand tons of fish are for local consumption and commerce.

Some of the topics addressed in this symposium were: research and innovation challenges in fisheries and aquaculture in the Peruvian Amazon; evaluation of species with high commercial value, the reproductive cycles of native species, composition, and minimum sizes of commercial species; and the importance of this activity with the greater biodiversity of the Amazonian rivers.

In this context, the Minister of Produce, José Luis Chicoma, highlighted the importance of the Amazon as a source of food, life, and biological wealth; For this reason, he reaffirmed the commitment of his sector to promote research, as well as technical assistance to improve the capacities of fishermen and aquaculturists; and thus have an innovative, sustainable, resilient, and inclusive fishery in the Amazon.

On his part, Minister Gabriel Quijandría highlighted the key role of the Amazon Fisheries Regulation (ROPA) to ensure the sustainable use of Amazonian aquatic ecosystems, without conflicts and preserving the species of our rivers. Likewise, he highlighted the joint work with Produce to advance by creating the conditions for an adequate regulatory framework in the Amazon area.

In turn, the president of CADAP, Walter Ferré, said that “Together with PRODUCE and MINAM, we find greater opportunities to build an innovation agenda that adjusts to the needs of the Amazonian population, with a basin approach, sustainability, resilience and a greater participation of civil society and indigenous populations”. 

About the Cadap

The CADAP is an articulation and coordination instance made up of the Regional Production Directorates / Managements of the Amazon. Its objective is to contribute and promote the implementation of joint actions in a strategic way for the development of aquaculture, fisheries, and SMEs in the Amazon basin, guaranteeing resources´ sustainability in the long term.