Boom-to-bust. The scallop (Argopecten purpuratus) fishery in the Pisco-Paracas region, southern Peruvian coast

• Main Author: Ricardo M. González Hunt
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú 2010-04-01
• Series: Espacio y Desarrollo
• Subjects: Concha de abanico; Fenómeno El Niño; Sostenibilidad; Región Pisco-Paracas; Perú
• Online Access: http://revistas.pucp.edu.pe/index.php/espacioydesarrollo/article/view/5353

This paper examines scallop (Argopecten purpuratus) booms experienced in the Pisco-Paracas Region of southern Peru, triggered by the 1982-1983 and the 1997-1998 mega-El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. The quiet fishing ports have been transformed by these booms, which have attracted outside stakeholders transforming the local society. Government institutions in their role as resource managers and environmental stewards have attempted to control access to a region that until recently contained the only marine protected area of Peru. This situation has led to rapid growth in the scallop industry, the overexploitation and depletion of the shellfish, creating a sustainability crisis. Furthermore, this paper examines contradictions and relationships across local, regional, national, and international scales.