Anchovy larval distribution in the coastal zone off northern Chile: the effect of low dissolved oxygen concentrations and of a cold-warm sequence (1990-95)

Abstract

This study analyses the patterns of distribution and abundance of anchovy (Engraulis ringens) larvae off northern Chile (18-24S), within the coastal zone (out to 100 nm) and their relationship to the oceanographic conditions in the top layer (0-200 m depth). The data were derived from surveys undertaken from 1990 to 1995, during each winter (July-September), the season of the main spawning and higher larval abundance. During the 1995 survey, ichthyoplankton samples were also taken at shallower depths (<100 m), to assess the influence of low dissolved oxygen concentration upon the vertical distribution of the anchovy larvae.