Peruvian Anchoveta
Engraulis ringens
Also known as: Anchoveta, Peruvian Anchovy, Anchovy
About This Species
This small, schooling fish is best observed indirectly, through the surface disturbance, seabird flocks, and marine mammal activity that mark a feeding shoal in the cold, nutrient-rich upwelling waters off the Pacific coast of South America. Look for dense, silvery masses near the surface, often accompanied by diving pelicans, boobies, and sea lions working the same shoal from above and below. Upwelling conditions, which are strongest in the cooler months, tend to concentrate the largest and most visible aggregations close to shore.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- If viewing from a boat, keep engine speed low and maintain distance from a feeding shoal and the animals working it, since fast approaches can scatter both the fish and the predators feeding on them.
- Fisheries and marine protections for this species and the ecosystem it supports vary between the countries bordering its range, so check local regulations before boating or fishing in a given area rather than assuming one rule applies throughout.
- Avoid disturbing associated feeding seabirds or marine mammals, which depend on these shoals and are often more sensitive to close approach than the fish themselves.
LCClupeiformesEngraulidae
Seasonal Activity
1,858,739 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Order
- Clupeiformes
- Family
- Engraulidae
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.