(Calle 3, Alle 3, Manzana A, Lote 4, Zona Industrial Gran Trapecio, Distrito de Chimbote, Provincia del Santa, Departamento de Ancash)
On July 25, 2023, this company was liquidated and ceased trading.
Crew members of the fishing vessel Susana, owned by Pesquera Chapsa, said they were forced to unload only at Plant 1313 in Chimbote. They alleged that Samuel Chumbes Perfecto controlled both the vessel and the Ancash plant, and that they were not allowed to fish outside the stretch between Huacho in the south and Chicama in the north. The crew said they felt frustrated and afraid because when they pointed out discrepancies between their recorded weights and the plant’s figures, they faced retaliation. “There is so much abuse in the industrial fishing sector, and the authorities turn a blind eye, damn it!” was the sentiment in the Facebook post by Sindicato de Pescadores José Olaya Balandra, in 2022.1
Another dramatic example of differences regarding the amount of catch delivered occurred in October 2021. The crew of the boat Pda 3, owned by the fishing company Don America, declared the weight of their catch at the plant Corporación Pesquera 1313 as 370 tons, based on the capacity of the vessel’s hold, however, the scale at the plant registered the weight as 186 tons. “We risk our lives, have a bad night, work all day, and easily 186 tons disappear,” said one of the crew members of the Pda 3.2
An article from Convoca.pe investigated allegations of irregularities in the Peruvian fishing industry, specifically focusing on fishmeal processing plants. A central issue was the suspected manipulation of weighing systems at these facilities, which affected the reporting of fish catches. Corporación Pesquera 1313 was one of the companies implicated in these concerns.3 The manipulation of fish catch reporting was not limited to large companies, but also involved smaller operators, such as Corporación Pesquera 1313.
In 2017, Pesquera 1313 installed a nine‑kilometer underwater pipeline in Bahía El Ferrol, Peru, to discharge effluents under its individual Environmental Adaptation and Management Program. This investment allowed the company to restart fishmeal and fish oil production after months of halted operations. Instead of joining the shared underwater discharge system managed by the industry association Aproferrol, Pesquera 1313 opted for its own system, arguing that the common project was plagued by irregularities and inflated costs. Critics claimed the new pipeline posed a severe environmental threat, raising fears of significant marine pollution instead of environmental preservation. Activists and environmental defenders, including Congresswoman María Elena Foronda, were criticized for their inaction despite the potential violation of environmental laws.4
The Mary Carmen: This vessel, owned by Corporacion Pesquera 1313, consistently exceeded a 30 percent discrepancy between actual and reported catches during its unloadings. These irregularities were significant enough that the company’s own fishers filed complaints, exposing the practice and adding to concerns about widespread underreporting in the industry.5