The Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis Ringens, or according to the FAO, Peruvian anchovy, Taxonomic Code: 1210600208) It is a pelagic species that lives in schools in areas which may be between 36 Km. and 18KmKm. of distance of our coasts and feeds on zooplankton. It is a kind of cold surface waters, i.e. not them is attached to the coast, less on the beaches, or in waters deep.
The shoals of anchovies moving into surface waters of up 50 meters deep in the day and go up in the night. It lies between 30 ° 03′ South and 37 ° 00 South. In this space there are two large areas where anchovies, the North-Central strip of the Peru which is the most important and the Strip in the South of the Chile Perú-norte which is less populated. The waters in which live the anchovy should be between 15 y 21 degrees of temperature and salinity must be found between the 34,5 y and5,1 UPS. That is to say that the anchovy live and play normally, You must have at its disposal food, water with appropriate temperature and moderate salinity to the normal depth for them. When surface waters are heated, the anchovies deepens to limited extent, because the depth the salinity increases and also is scarce the plankton. For that reason, If some climate change, the shoals move looking for suitable habitat. If, as happened in 1971, el Niño phenomenon is severe warming waters of our coast, the schools down and walk away, but as a result of this shift, the population decreases due to that anywhere else will find ideal conditions to live and reproduce.
The anchovies feed on the abundant existing on our coast plankton, that is the product of the Peruvian current, as there is not in abundance nor quality anywhere else in the world. During the spring and summer normal, the anchovy is located within a coastal strip to the 20-30 millas (36-54 Km.) de la costa; in the autumn and winter comes to move up the 80 millas (144 Km.), and sometimes, beyond the 100 millas (180 Km.) de la cmileshe coaKm.
The anchovy is reproduced throughout the year, but especially between July and September and in lesser extent during the months of February and March. Six months after it reaches the size of 8 cm., 10,5 cm. within a year of age and 12 cm. the year and a half. Live one 3 years reaching cm20 cm. length.
Within the food chain, the anchovy feeds exclusively on plankton but serves as food for larger pelagic fish such as tuna, penguins, Sea Lions, marine birds etc. But all the older fish do not eat anchovy as known fish of peña, the Parrot, pintadilla, the tramboyo, the chita, Chinese or the cherlo.
In 1971 our country reached the record of world fisheries with the capture of 13.059.900 tonne of anchovy, but from that year production declined due, Both overfishing and the el Niño phenomenon that in the year 1971 was the most severe of the century. The decline of the fishing, by political mismanagement of the vedas and resulting overfishing, it caused great losses to the industry and the Government of Velasco Alvarado gave him the coup de grace estatizando industry. Thereafter he declined the fishing industry, the anchovy did little to give way to other pelagic species such as sardines (Sardinops sagax sagax) horse mackerel (Trachurus picturatus) and mackerel (Scomber japonicus). In the Decade of the 80 the anchovy population recovered, but the thriving Peruvian fishing industry recovered no more, being what it is today, important in the world, but it does not compare anything, What was in the Decade of the 60.
From the age 60, the anchovy has only used as raw material for the manufacture of flour, but before it was consumed as fresh food. In the neighborhoods of Lima until the end of the year 50 they used to appear daily fish vendors offering some, “Choros!, lornas, hueveeeeras…!” o “Lisa!, cojinova, coorviiina!” and others exclusively shouted “Anchoveeetaaa!!”. People therefore, eating anchovy by its low price and high protein biscuits. The content of fat and protein of the anchovy does not compare with the many food that people consume mere habit. In his defence is that the strong flavour and colour of the flesh of the anchovy do that people her not prefer other more lean fish and white meats. That ended with the human consumption of the anchovy, It was not the fish meal industry, at least not directly. What happened is that the major cities of the coast of the Peru were covered with a cloud of smoke from factories of flour, they left an omnipresent noxious odor and that ended up turning the anchovy in an almost repulsive product.
Doing a comparison, otherwise occurred con.la pota before age 70. Pota was never a product present in the Bureau. at least in Lima. Normally fishermen her returning to the sea when it fell in networks, because nobody wanted to. During the Government of Velasco, to alleviate the food problems caused by El Niño, almost began to give the squid in the townships. Today it is sold in supermarkets!!
Flour made from anchovy, as food human, It has a great rival in the soy flour, because the anchovy has a taste and very strong odor and also contains some elements that are allergens. However for other uses, as animal feed, has no rival.
As a result of export for human consumption, over the years 60 and 70 the Pauly could not compete with the European since our anchovy seemed “very strong”. The anchovy or European anchovy is a lean fish compared with our anchovy. Though comparatively the Pauly contains more nutrients and unsaturated fats or “good fats” as the Omega-3 and Omega-6, that other similar species, more than reason enough to consume it. As currently there are shortage of anchovies in Europe can be an advantage that we must take advantage of. There is currently a campaign for the anchovy return to our tables, as fresh or canned food, What is fine, but hopefully it's not only a reason to make our sleepless politicians take the photo, something that would not be uncommon, knowing them, as we know them.
Institute of the sea of Peru – Anchovy”
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