Peruvian Anchoveta (Engraulis ringens)

node · earth · Southeast Pacific — coastal Peru and northern Chile

A small schooling anchovy of the Humboldt system whose biomass is a direct function of how much cold, nutrient-rich water the wind pulls to the surface. It supports the largest single-species fishery in recorded history and most of the world's fishmeal supply; the IUCN has described it as the most heavily exploited single-species fishery in world history. Its stock collapses during strong El Niño events, when upwelling brings up warm, nutrient-poor water and the food web beneath the fish fails — which is why an atmospheric change in the central Pacific shows up as an economic shock on the Peruvian coast within months.