Engraulis ringens (Source: Robbie N. Cada., Fishbase.org) Cladus: Eukaryota The Peruvian anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) is a fish of the anchovy family, Engraulidae. Anchoveta are pelagic fish in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, and are regularly caught on the coasts of Peru, and Chile. They live for up to 4 years, reaching 20 cm, with recruitment occurring after only about 6 months when they have already grown over 8 cm. Anchoveta eat mostly phytoplankton, but their diet also includes small zooplankton and larvae. After a period of plenty in the late 1960s, the population was greatly reduced during the 1972 El Niño event, when warm water drifted over the cold Humboldt Current, and lowering the depth of the thermocline. Nutrient rich waters were then no longer upwelled and phytoplankton production decreased, leaving the anchoveta with a depleted food source. Since the mid 1980s, the Peruvian anchoveta has again become very abundant, with current catch levels being comparable to those of the 1960s. The anchoveta is almost exclusively used for making fishmeal, and in fact Peru produces some of the highest quality fishmeal in the world. Canned anchovy fillets commonly sold in the US are intensely salty and exclude skin and bones. They're often marked "Product of Morocco". Canned anchovetas sold in Peru are closer to whole fish and not particularly salty. They look almost identical to the canned sardines widely available in the US but have the characteristic anchovy taste. * "Engraulis ringens". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=551340. Retrieved 24 January 2006.
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