Northern Anchovies

Engraulis mordax

Northern Anchovies

Engraulis mordax

Other Common Names
California Anchovy
Plain Anchovy

Sandy Coast, Open Sea

Other Common Names

California Anchovy
Plain Anchovy

At the Aquarium

Sandy Coast, Open Sea

Appearance

The northern anchovy is a small fish that can grow up to 9 inches long, though they rarely reach longer than 7 inches. These fish have a silvery color with blue and green highlights. A northern anchovy can be identified by its large mouth, which allows it to easily catch plankton.

Habitat

Surface and coastal waters; usually found within 18 miles off shore but can be found as far as 300 miles off shore

Juveniles can be found nearshore and offshore
Adults are found mostly offshore

Diet

Plankton, krill, copepods and planktonic decapods

Life History

Northern anchovies can spawn year-round but peak spawning is in late winter and early spring, typically February to April. Females may spawn multiple times, with intervals of 7 to 10 days, during peak spawning season. Each large female anchovy will release 20,000 to 30,000 eggs annually. Spawned eggs float. After 2 to 4 days the eggs hatch and the surrounding waters are saturated with nearly transparent baby anchovy. At around 2 years old the northern anchovy reaches adulthood. At this point females start producing eggs, continuing and repeating the cycle. They rarely live past 4 years of age, though outliers have been recorded to be upwards of 7 years old and 9 inches long. These fish have a relatively high natural mortality rate. Each year, 55% of the stock would die, if fishing were not a factor.

IUCN Status

Data Deficient

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Northern anchovies are an excellent way for nutrients to move through the ecosystem. As anchovies eat small plankton and are in turn eaten by sea birds, marine mammals, and larger fish, the nutrients from those plankton move up the food chain. Anchovy are eaten not only by wild animals, but also by people. Anchovy is also used in fishmeal or for the creation of fish oil. Humans also use anchovies as bait fish; for example, the northern anchovy is used as live bait to catch tuna.

Baja California to northern British Columbia

Northern anchovy can be found along the Oregon coast. They live in nearshore and offshore waters and are used as live bait for the local tuna fisheries.

There are three different populations of anchovy off the Pacific coast. The northernmost population ranges from Queen Charlotte Islands, BC to Cape Mendocino, CA. The middle population goes from Point Reyes, California to Punta Baja, Baja California. The southern population is found from Sebastian Vizcaino Bay to the Gulf of Mexico.

Citations & Other Resources

Boschung H. T., J. D. Williams, D. W. Gotshall, D. K. Caldwell, M. C. Cadwell, C. Nehring, J. Verner. 1998. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Fishes, Whales & Dolphins. Chanticleer Press Inc., New York, NY, USA.
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound. 2024. Engraulis mordax. University of Washington. https://www.eopugetsound.org/species/engraulis-mordax#Habitat
Hart. J. L., N. B. Andrews. 1988. Pacific Fishes of Canada. Bulletins of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada. Canadian Government Publishing Center Supplies and Services Canada. Ottawa, Canada.
Kuriyama, Peter T., et al. “Assessment of the northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax) central subpopulation in 2021 for US management.” (2022).

Northern Anchovies

Northern Anchovies

Other Common Names

At the Aquarium

Appearance

Habitat

Diet

Life History

IUCN Status

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Citations & Other Resources

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