The Chilean government has reduced the quota for the 'jurel,' or scad, catch from 1.20 million tons to 1.14 million tons annually, and for the first time set limits on fishing for anchovies, sardines and hake. The Under-Secretariat for Fishing announced these protection measures for the fishing resources along the country's extensive Pacific coastline at a time when Chile is caught up in a legal dispute with the European Union before the World Trade Organization. The European bloc filed a complaint because of Chile's regulations for preserving swordfish, the prime target of Spanish fishing vessels in recent years.

Anchovies and sardines are in high demand for their use in producing fishmeal, an industry in which Chile and Peru are among the world's top producers.