Critter Guide > Fish > Bay Anchovy

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Bay Anchovy

Artwork: Joann Wheeler 1999

Fast Fact:

Bay Anchovy is the most abundant and commonly caught fish in the Chesapeake, but it has no commercial value.

Distribution	Coastal: Gulf of Maine to Florida, throughout the Gulf of Mexico, the Chesapeake Bay, and its tributaries.
Description	Body elongated and moderately compressed, greenish body with bright silver band along body, posterior of mouth reaching past eye, nearly to margin of opercle, single dorsal fin; soft.
Max. size	4 inches.
Food preference	Zooplankton
Spawning location	Estuarine waters where temperatures are above 12 degrees Celsius, and salinity is greater than 10%.
Spawning period	April - September, peaks in July.
Egg type	Buoyant when spawned, demersal as they develop.