Bay anchovy

Anchoa mitchilli

FAMILY

Engraulidae

TAXONOMY

Anchoa mitchilli Valenciennes, 1848, New York, United States.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

English: Common anchovy; French: Anchois américain; Spanish: Anchoa de caleta.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Small species, typically 3–4 in (7.6–10.2 cm) total length. Nearly transparent and greenish in color, with a silvery band along the side of the body. Snout overhangs the mouth and low jawbone extends well beyond the eye.

DISTRIBUTION

Atlantic coast of North America from Casco Bay, Maine, to the Florida Keys, and westward around the Gulf of Mexico south to the Yucatán peninsula.

HABITAT

Primarily an estuarine and inshore coastal species. Utilizes a wide variety of habitats including bays, sandy beaches, marshes, islands, and spoil banks. Typically found over muddy bottoms or in vegetation. Tolerates a wide range of salinities but is often found in brackish water.

BEHAVIOR

Swims in schools. Migrates seasonally from deep waters in winter to shallow shores and wetlands in summer.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Plankton feeder; primarily consumes mysids and copepods. Small fishes, gastropods, and isopods are occasionally taken.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Spawns from late winter to early fall when water temperatures are around 68°F (20°C). Spawning takes place during the evening hours in shallow waters near barrier islands, in bays, and in estuaries. Spawning usually occurs in large schools. Females broadcast eggs, which are fertilized in the water column by males. Eggs float near the water surface for approximately 24 hours after fertilization before they hatch. Bay anchovies mature to adults in two and one-half months.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not listed by the IUCN.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

Used as bait and to make anchovy paste. Important as forage fishes in food chains that sustain other commercial and recreational fishery species in estuaries and coastal areas.