Bay Anchovy

Anchoa mitchilli

The bay anchovy is a small, slender fish with a silvery-green body. Adults have:

• A silver stripe along the body.
• A large mouth.
• A single back fin.

Bay anchovies can grow to about 4 inches long.

Where does the bay anchovy live?

Anchovies are abundant in the Bay, schooling in deep waters during winter and moving into the shallows in warmer months.

What does the bay anchovy eat?

Anchovies feed mostly on zooplankton, which are microscopic animals like fish larvae.

How does the bay anchovy reproduce?

Bay anchovies spawn from spring through late summer, once water temperatures reach at least 54 degrees. The peak of spawning occurs in July.

Other facts about the bay anchovy:

• The bay anchovy is the most abundant and commonly found fish in the Chesapeake Bay.
• Anchovies are an important food source for larger predatory fish, including striped bass, bluefish and weakfish.