Anatomy: generally silvery, streamlined, spindle-shaped bodies; most filter plankton from the water with gill rakers; gas bladder has a pneumatic duct connecting it to the gut; typically lack a lateral line
Diet: mainly plankton, some eat smaller fish
Habitat/Range: in oceans worldwide; some anchovies will enter brackish water and some are restricted to fresh water
Evolved in: Early Cretaceous
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The Clupeiformes are some of the most important food fish, both for larger fish, birds, mammals, and for humans, who will also use them as bait. As small schooling fish, many are known for making “bait balls” (see gif above) when threatened, where the fish will swarm in a tightly packed sphere to seem larger and protect themselves, as lone individuals are more likely to be eaten than an individual in a large group. Bait balls are short-lived and seldom last longer than 10 minutes. Some predators have developed sophisticated countermeasures to bait balls, which can seriously undermine the defensive value of a bait ball. Some predators will work together to herd the fish into a ball before striking them all together, and humans will use nets to catch the entire school.
The Denticle Herring (Denticeps clupeoides), the only member of its family, in known for its array of denticle-like scales under the head, which give it almost a furry appearance
The Peruvian Anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) is one of the most commercially important fish species in the world, with annual harvests varying between 3.14 and 8.32 million tonnes. The top yield was 13.1 million tonnes in 1971, but has undergone great fluctuations over time. Canned Anchovetas are sometimes marketed with the culinary name "Peruvian Sardines" to promote domestic and international consumption, as sardines are usually in higher demand. Only 1% of Anchoveta catches are used for direct human consumption, while 99% are rendered into fishmeal and oil. The Anchoveta has been characterised as "the most heavily exploited fish in world history". After the population has been greatly reduced by overfishing and El Niño events, smaller quotas have been placed on Anchoveta fisheries.
The strong taste people associate with anchovies is due to the curing process, as they are salted in brine and packed in oil and salt.
As with all filter feeders, Clupeidae (“herrings” and “sprats”) cannot take in food if nutrient rich water does not pass over their gills. To moderate this, members of this family have been found to increase their swimming speed when they sense that there is a high concentration of food items in order to take advantage of the feeding period.
Both species of wolf-herring (genus Chirocentrus) have elongated jaws with long sharp teeth that aid their ravenous appetites, primarily for other fish. The Whitefin Wolf-herring (Chirocentrus nudus) is also known to crunch on crabs, in addition to its usual diet of smaller fish.
The Rainbow Sardine (Dussumieria acuta) is iridescent blue with a bit of shiny gold or brass line below, but these brilliant colors quickly fade after death.
The American Shad (Alosa sapidissima) has been described as "the fish that fed the (American) nation's founders".
The Pokémon Wishiwashi is based on the Pacific Sardine (Sardinops sagax ocellatus), and can turn into a “school form” made up of hundreds of other Wishiwashi when it enters battle. The School Form resembles a larger fish and is based off of a bait ball.
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He devoted many pages to the flatfish of the North Sea – less lucrative than the herring, but also good eating. Sections like this are devoted to all manner of sea life: octopuses, squid, eels, scallops, shrimp, sardines, cod, salmon, trout, turtles . . . if it swam, dived, or drifted, Coenen wanted to know.
"The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper" - Roland Allen
A fish from the western Atlantic Ocean. Menhaden are omnivorous filter feeders, feeding by straining plankton and algae from water. Along with oysters, which filter water on the seabed, menhaden play a key role in the food chain in estuaries and bays
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Famously, or perhaps infamously, known for their place in the culinary world, Northern Anchovies or California Anchovies (Engraulis mordax) is a species of pelagic forage fish native to the Pacific ocean. Like all anchovies, they are silver with bluish-green coloring on the back and sides. They generally weigh up to 10 g, and can be as long as 9 cm. The best way to distinguish E. mordax from other anchovy species is their anal fin; unlike other anchovies, the Northern Anchovy’s bottom fin begins parallel to the end of the top fin.
The California Anchovy’s range spans from British Columbia in Canada to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Their ideal habitat is in open oceans near coastal upwellings, with a maximum depth of 200 m and a temperature range of 8 to 25 C. Generally they’re found between 30-400 km offshore, but they are known to enter bays and inlets in search of food. Two main sub-populations exist; one off the coast of the Pacific Northwestern United States and another near Baja California, Mexico. The northern population is more migratory, travelling to deeper waters in the winter.
Northern Anchovies have a relatively short lifespan; only about 4 or 5 years without predation. In that time, however, they can produce hundreds of offspring. They become sexually mature at around 2 years old, at which time females begin spawning eggs. About once a week they release batches of over 500 eggs, which are then fertilized with sperm released by the males. Fertilized eggs can hatch only 4 days later, and larvae develop quickly. E. mordax breeds throughout the year, but reproduction peaks in spring. This is an especially bountiful time for the California Anchovy’s predators, as planktivores, fish, seabirds, and marine mammals will gather to feed on the transparent larvae and their swarming parents.
When predated upon, Northern Anchovies perform a unique defense mechanism called schooling. Their bluish-green and silver coloring provides a sort of camouflage against the open ocean and makes it difficult for predators to distinguish individuals for targeting. The school moves together as one tightly balled unit, and stragglers who cannot keep up with the group are quickly singled out and eaten.
Despite their reputation as prey, northern anchovies are themselves predators of tiny invertebrates like copepods and decapod larvae. They can filter-feed and actively pursue prey. When hunting, an individual forms an S-shaped posture, using its coloring as camouflage, and undulates its dorsal fins to propel itself. Generally, anchovy larvae are more active hunters than adults.
Conservation status: Rated as Least Concern by the IUCN. The Northern Anchovy has been fished extensively as a source of food and fishing bait for human use. While the current population is thought to be stable, catch rates have been steadily decreasing since 1983.
