Thousands of dead sardines and anchovies washed up on a beach in Chile in the country’s Bio Bio region.

Environmental officials are investigating water quality in the area, off the Coliumo Peninsula, to determine the cause of the incident.

Some locals point to low oxygen levels in deep waters as the reason for deaths, with fish having to swim closer to shore in search of oxygenated nutrients.

The anchovy (Engraulis ringens) is a small pelagic (ocean surface living) fish in the southeastern Pacific Ocean and is regularly caught off the coasts of Peru and Chile. They have a short but productive life cycle, living up to four years.

Anchovy is distributed along the southeast Pacific coast from Ecuador to southern Chile, and comprises four distinct stocks.

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Chile and Peru manage these stocks independently, but both countries seek their long-term conservation. Peru has two seasons per year to set fishing quotas based on effective monitoring through seasonal surveys that estimate abundance. Additional oceanographic information is also collected.

The Peruvian fisheries management agency (PRODUCE) allocates the seasonal fishing quota, but there is no clear catch control rule established. Chile, on the other hand, manages
anchovy stocks through indirect stock assessments that are cross-checked with surveys.

The Chilean fisheries administration has clearly defined reference points and allocated quotas aim to move the fisheries towards Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY), where it is possible to define a clear exploitation control rule. Both countries monitor fisheries management measures.

(With agency contributions)