Pesquera Cantabria owns at least 15 vessels whose catch goes primarily into making fishmeal, according to the Friend of the Sea vessel database from December 2024. Information about vessels can also be found on Peru’s Ministry of Production’s online vessel consultation service.1 The company has a well-documented pattern of its ships engaging in illegal fishing, a review of court documents and other government records showed. In particular, Pesquera Cantabria’s ships have repeatedly caught banned quantities of juvenile mackerel and fished illegally in the Paracas Marine Protected Area. Between 2015 and 2022, at least five ships owned by Pesquera Cantabria reportedly engaged in such behaviors, including illegally fishing in a marine protected area, document fraud, and exceeding catch limits on five occasions.
On September 11, 2022, findings from three reports of the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic of Peru, revealed instances of multiple inspectors employed by the General Directorate of Harbor Masters, who were part of the Peruvian Navy, falsely signed verifications of inspection of 18 fishing vessels, including the Atlántico IV owned by Pesquera Cantabria. Inspectors recommended that certifications for the prevention of pollution by sewage and hydrocarbons be renewed. All of this was reported by Ojo Público. To receive these certifications, a ship must be physically inspected, but the investigation found that the ships in question were either at sea or not in the same port as the inspectors.2
The Atlantico IV: On two occasions in August 2016 legal reports from the Ministry of Production referenced sanctions placed on this vessel for the extraction of juvenile mackerel catch exceeding the amount allowed by established standards of the Ministry of Production. Pesquera Cantabria was fined in the Ministry’s final resolution dated August 10, 2019.3 The company was fined and the catch confiscated in the final resolution dated August 13, 2019.4
The Magallanes: On August 25, 2016, the Magallanes, this vessel was cited for the extraction of juvenile mackerel catch exceeding the amount allowed by established standards of the Ministry of Production. Pesquera Cantabria was sanctioned in the Ministry’s final resolution, dated October 20, 2020, with a fine and a confiscation order for the illegal catch, though the order was not fulfilled due to the poor condition of the fish in question.5 On October 5, 2020, the Magallanes was again cited for the same offense. The final resolution by the Ministry of Production, dated March 27, 2024, sanctioned the company with a fine, an order for confiscation of the illegal catch, and a six day suspension of fishing rights.6
The Atlantico III: The vessel was caught fishing illegally within the prohibited five nautical mile zone over two days in June 2020. In the final resolution of the case documented in January 2024, the company was fined and ordered to pay the commercial value of the illegal catch, as seizure could not be applied.7
The Atlantico I: During an audit at the Callao plant on June 10, 2015, the vessel was sanctioned for fishing over 30 percent of anchovy of smaller sizes than permitted by the Peru Ministry of Production, exceeding the maximum tolerance standards. In the final resolution of the case dated May 16, 2019, the company was fined and more than seven tons of anchovy were confiscated.8
Francisca: On November 27, 2022, during a routine inspection, the Ministry of Production discovered that the Francisca fishing vessel had unloaded 107.250 tons of anchovy, exceeding the authorized catch limit by 3.43 tons, violating the three percent tolerance allowed for its catch capacity. As a provisional measure, the authorities seized 0.321 tons of the excess anchovy, in accordance with the Reglamento de Fiscalización y Sanción de las Actividades Pesqueras y Acuícolas. In compliance with regulations, the company Pesquera Cantabria, which received the fish, paid the commercial value of the seized catch, totaling 318.21 soles by December 14, 2022.9 Corporacion Pesquera Inca and CFG Investment were authorized to sell certified products caught by Francisca in 2024, according to Friend of the Sea.10