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About a half-hour drive up the coast from Merino’s home in Ventanilla, tourists from Lima would frequent the beach town of Ancón at this time of year.

And even that fish has declined, dock workers say; some boats are now landing only every 10 days or so, perhaps because fishermen worry customers won’t want to buy fish in Ancón in fear of contamination.

Ancón’s beach, which has a boardwalk that is normally bursting with tourists this time of year, is now empty.

“We don’t get an answer from anyone, they just give us crumbs” of information, said fisherman Ricardo Estrada, 38, standing on the pier in Ancón, one of 24 polluted beaches on Peru’s coast.

Despite their predicament, Ramos, an old sea dog, said if they hoisted a sail they would be back in Ancón, their port of departure, in 12 days.