anchoveta
Engraulis ringens · Engraulidae · forage fish
Anchovy that forms huge schools along the coasts of Ecuador, Peru and Chile. It is the basis of the region's fishmeal and fish oil fishery.
Also called: manjuba-peruana, anchoveta, anchoa, chicora, peruvian anchovy
- maximum
- 20 cm
- depth
- 3–80 m
the right time
to be on the water
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
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hour by hour
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
trend for the coming weeks
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
everything about the anchoveta
who is the anchoveta
Anchovy of the family Engraulidae, with a long, slender, round body and a long, protruding snout. It reaches 20 cm, and its common size is 14 cm. It lives in huge schools, mostly near the surface, in waters 3 to 80 m deep and up to 80 km from shore. It is a filter feeder and feeds on plankton, mainly diatoms, which in some studies made up as much as 98% of its diet. It lays ellipsoid eggs. Seabirds and pelicans depend on it. Almost all of the catch goes to fishmeal and fish oil.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the anchoveta; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- The schools feed seabirds and coastal pelicans.
identification
Anchovy with a long, slender body, round in cross section, with a bright blue or green back and a long, prominent snout. Juveniles have a silvery flank band that fades with age. In Ecuador and Peru, the Pacific anchovy (Cetengraulis mysticetus) has a short snout and a deeper head, and the difference in snout is the main sign.
where found
Southeastern Pacific, from the Galapagos, Ecuador, to Peru and Chile, as far as Chiloé, with a record at Easter Island, in coastal waters down to 80 m.
Habitat: Surface and coastal waters down to 80 m deep, in huge schools.
rules for the anchoveta
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
Harmless. A schooling fish with delicate skin, almost all of it used for fishmeal and oil: handle it with a wet hand if you are returning it.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00457, b = 3.13; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Engraulis ringens (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Engraulis ringensNames by country and language.
similar species
where each number comes from
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations: