However none of these upwellings compare with the Peruvian system in terms of bio-mass and diversity. These costal upwellings can be translated into profits by intelligent entrepreneurs. Anchovies and like fish can be processed into fishmeal. Fishmeal is an important ingredient in livestock feed and is valued for its high nutrient content. Anchovies also yield fish oil which is another exportable commodity.
Anchovies are also the staple food of the guano producing birds of the region.
So it is not surprising that the anchovy has become an important natural resource for Peru. Hundreds of years before Peruvians began harvesting and processing anchovies into tradeable commodities, the people of that region took advantage of the upwelling bio-system by mining guano and using it as fertilizer. Guano is the droppings of primarily two species of birds, the guanay and the piquero, which feed on the abundant anchovy. These bird droppings are extremely rich in nitrogen which makes guano a good fertilizer for the arid soil of continental Peru. Guano was used for this purpose by the indigenous people of Peru long before Spanish explorers set foot on South American soil.