The most recent and dramatic example of what can happen to an overfished population is provided by the anchovy These fish congregate in the cool coastal currents off the coast of Peru. During the summer, these regions are very narrow and the anchovies pack together in this restricted zone Dozens of tons of them can be taken in this zone at one so it is not surprising that, from a modest time beginning in the 1950's, the anchovy catch rose to over 10 million tons a year in the late 1960's. This amount was greater than that of all other fish caught ali by Westem nations combined. The fishmeal made from the Peruvian anchovies is exported as livestock feed: the oil goes margarine, paint, and even lipstick. into In 1972, the anchovy catch plummeted to 4 million tons, a disaster for the Peruvian economy. Why did it occur? First, because the coastal waters had warmed up, and this lowered the anchovies survival and reproduction Second, biologists had warned that, to ensure survival of the anchovy during these climatic changes, which occur regularly near Peru, the annual catch should not exceed 10 million tons per year. This limit had been exceeded in the two years before the 1972 disaster Biologists are uncertain whether the anchovy population will ever recover