European Anchovy

The European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) is a coastal pelagic fish of the family Engraulidae, distinguished by a deeply cleft mouth whose gape extends behind the eye, a pointed snout that overhangs the lower jaw, a forked tail, a single dorsal fin, a slender body, and silver underparts with a blue, green, or grey back. It typically grows to 13.5 centimeters and can reach up to 21 centimeters, with a record weight of 49 grams. It lives in the waters off Europe and Africa, including the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and Sea of Azov, tolerating a wide range of salinity that lets it survive in brackish lagoons, estuaries, and lakes; it stays under about 50 meters in summer but can descend to 200 meters or more in the Mediterranean winter, with a maximum recorded depth of 400 meters. It feeds on plankton, chiefly copepods, along with fish and mollusk eggs and larvae, and is assessed as Least Concern.