What Lies Beneath: Uncovering the truth about Peru’s colossal fishmeal and fish oil industry

The report exposes systemic issues in Peru's fishmeal and fish oil (FMFO) industry, the world's largest, highlighting the overfishing of juvenile anchovies, corruption in quota setting, and the failure of sustainability certifications like MarinTrust. It details how major producers, such as TASA and Austral Group, supply global aquafeed giants (including Skretting and BioMar) that provide feed for salmon sold to major European retailers. Additionally, the document reports severe health and safety violations during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, where companies allegedly covered up widespread infections among workers.

• Peru is the global leader in fishmeal and fish oil (FMFO) production, accounting for one-third of global output and exporting over 1 million tonnes annually. The Peruvian anchovy (anchoveta) fishery is the largest single-species fishery in the world, with 6,053,201 metric tonnes of anchovy destined for FMFO landed in 2018.
• The industry is characterized by unsustainable practices and corruption, including the overfishing of juvenile fish, underreporting of catches, and the diversion of fish intended for human consumption to FMFO production. There are concerns that the anchoveta fishery could collapse, similar to the 1972 El Niño event, due to risk factors and climate change.
• Major Peruvian FMFO producers TASA and Austral Group, which together generated nearly one-third of Peru's fishmeal (32%) and fish oil (29%) exports in 2019, are linked to European aquafeed and aquaculture giants. TASA supplies companies such as EWOS/Cargill, Skretting, and BioMar, which in turn supply the world's largest fish-farming companies and retailers like Aldi, Marks & Spencer, and REWE.
• Norwegian salmon producers Mowi and Lerøy rely heavily on Peruvian sources; in 2019, Mowi sourced 40.2% of its fish oil from Peruvian and Chilean waters, while Lerøy sourced 26.4% from Peru.
• The MarinTrust Global Standard for Responsible Supply is described as fatally flawed for certifying companies involved in underreporting catches, overfishing juveniles, and corruption scandals. Furthermore, between 2012 and 2018, an annual mismatch of 46,000 tonnes of 'phantom' fishmeal was identified, where exports exceeded production.
• During the 2020 fishing season, FMFO companies TASA and Austral Group allegedly violated health and safety protocols, leading to widespread Covid-19 infections. At TASA's Vegueta plant, 76% of workers represented by the SINTETASA union were infected, and 48% of the workforce at the Samanco plant were infected. TASA is also accused of failing to report at least two cases to the Peruvian Ministry of Health.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2020). What Lies Beneath: Uncovering the truth about Peru’s colossal fishmeal and fish oil industry. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/What_Lies_Beneath_Executive_Summary_ENGLISH.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. What Lies Beneath: Uncovering the truth about Peru’s colossal fishmeal and fish oil industry. 2020. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/What_Lies_Beneath_Executive_Summary_ENGLISH.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=What Lies Beneath: Uncovering the truth about Peru’s colossal fishmeal and fish oil industry |date=November 2020 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/What_Lies_Beneath_Executive_Summary_ENGLISH.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2020what, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{What Lies Beneath: Uncovering the truth about Peru’s colossal fishmeal and fish oil industry}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2020}, month = nov, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/What_Lies_Beneath_Executive_Summary_ENGLISH.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }