Peruvian anchoveta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Peruvian anchoveta |
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The Peruvian anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) is a small fish from the anchovy family. It lives in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. This fish is super important for fishing around the world. People catch millions of tons of anchoveta every year. From 2010 to 2021, harvests were between 3.14 and 8.32 million tonnes.
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About the Peruvian Anchoveta
What Anchoveta Eat
Scientists used to think anchoveta mostly ate tiny plants called phytoplankton. They also thought anchoveta ate small animal plankton and larvae. But new studies show something different. Anchoveta get most of their energy from bigger animal plankton. This includes creatures like krill and large copepods. These are the most important foods for them.
Anchoveta Life Cycle and Growth
Peruvian anchoveta can live for up to three years. They can grow to about 20 cm (8 in) long. They start having babies when they are about one year old. At that age, they are usually around 10 cm (4 in) long. However, fishermen often catch them when they are younger. They can be harvested as early as six months old. At that age, they are about 8 cm (3 in) long.
Where Anchoveta Live
Peruvian anchoveta are found in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. They live off the coasts of Peru and Chile. They usually swim in huge groups called schools. These schools are typically found within 80 km (50 mi) of the coast.
Fishing for Anchoveta
History of Anchoveta Fishing
The Peruvian anchoveta has been called "the most heavily fished animal in world history." In 1971, the biggest catch ever was made: 13.1 million tonnes. But the amount of fish caught has changed a lot over time. In the late 1960s, there were many anchoveta. Then, two things caused their numbers to drop. One was too much fishing, called overfishing. The other was a strong El Niño event in 1972.
How El Niño Affects Anchoveta
During an El Niño, warm water spreads over the cold Humboldt Current. This makes the warm and cold water layers mix differently. Nutrients from the deep ocean cannot come up to the surface. This means less food for tiny ocean plants, which anchoveta eat. So, the anchoveta have less to eat, and their numbers go down. Another strong El Niño in the early 1980s also caused a big drop. But by 1994, catches were back up to 12.5 million tonnes. The El Niño of 1997–1998 was the strongest ever. It also caused a big loss of anchoveta. This hurt the fishing industry and the economy.
Recent Fishing Trends
In the 2000s, annual catches were between 6.2 and 11.3 million tonnes. This was more than any other wild-caught fish. But in the 2010s, catches started to go down. This meant other fish, like the Alaska pollock and skipjack tuna, started to catch up. In October 2015, during another El Niño year, scientists checked the anchoveta population. They found that only 2 million metric tons were old enough to reproduce. Usually, 5 million metric tons are needed to open fishing season.
Even with these numbers, the fishing industry thought there were more fish. They said about 6.8 million metric tons of reproductive-age anchoveta were present. So, the Peruvian Ministry of Production allowed fishing to open for the second season. But they set a limit: only 1.1 million metric tons could be caught. This was about half of the limit from the first season that year.
How Anchoveta Are Used
From Fishmeal to Food
Until about 2005, almost all anchoveta were used to make fishmeal. Fishmeal is a powder made from fish. It is used to feed farm animals like chickens and pigs. Peru makes some of the best quality fishmeal in the world.
Since 2005, more and more anchoveta are being used for people to eat directly. They are sold as fresh fish, canned fish, or salted fillets in oil. Canned Peruvian anchoveta is often sold as "Peruvian sardines." This new way of using anchoveta is sometimes called the "second anchoveta boom." The first boom was when people discovered how to catch and make fishmeal from them in the 1960s and 70s.
Promoting Anchoveta as Food
The Peruvian Fish Technology Institute CIP helped start this "second boom." They got help from the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization). A big campaign helped make anchoveta known to everyone in Peru. Even the president of Peru at the time, Alan García, helped promote it. Before, people didn't really think of anchoveta as food. Now, you can find it in supermarkets and restaurants. Still, only about 1 percent of anchovy catches are eaten by people. The other 99 percent are still turned into fishmeal and oil.
New Anchoveta Products
Canned anchovy fillets in the US are often very salty. They usually have their skin and bones removed. Many are labeled "Product of Morocco." Canned anchovetas are sometimes called "Peruvian sardines" to encourage people to eat them. This is because sardines are usually more popular. Recently, new ways to prepare anchoveta have been created in Peru. You can now find products like anchoveta chicharrones (fried anchoveta), anchoveta jerky, anchoveta paste, and anchoveta steaks.
Managing Fishing Rights
Rules for Fishing
Different countries have different rules for fishing. Some countries require a special fishing license. Others have rules based on how much money the government should get from using a natural resource. This is called "resource rent." For anchoveta, this means figuring out how much the government should be paid. This payment is for allowing people to use this renewable natural resource.
Peru's Fishing Laws
The anchoveta fishery is very important. In 2008, Peru passed a new law called the Maximum Catch Limit per Vessel Law (LMCE). This law gives specific rights to fishing boats. It means each boat has a limit on how much fish it can catch. When fishing is open to everyone without limits, too many boats might catch too many fish. This can harm the fish population. But when there are limits, it helps make sure there are enough fish for the future. It also helps the country earn money from the resource.
Peruvian fishing rules say that boat owners must pay for fishing rights. This payment is based on a percentage of the price of fishmeal for every ton of fish caught. There has been some discussion about whether this payment truly reflects the value of the anchoveta. This is especially true since the LMCE law was put in place. The new law has made the anchoveta resource more valuable.
