Bay Anchovy Identification Guide

Key identification features

• Very small, slender, translucent body, typically only 5-10 cm
• Prominent bright silver stripe running along the midline of the flank
• Large eye relative to head size
• Large mouth with the upper jaw extending well past the rear of the eye
• Short, blunt snout compared to other anchovy species
• Single dorsal fin set slightly behind the midpoint of the body

Common look-alikes

• Striped anchovy: has a more pointed snout and a jaw that extends slightly farther, compared to the blunter snout and shorter jaw reach of bay anchovy.
• Silversides: possess two separate dorsal fins and a much smaller mouth, unlike the single dorsal fin and oversized gape typical of bay anchovy.
• Juvenile herrings or shads: lack the anchovy's characteristic large eye and overhanging, gaping mouth, and instead show a smaller terminal mouth.

Where you'll see one

Bay anchovy is extremely common in shallow estuaries, bays, and brackish coastal waters along the western Atlantic from New England to the Gulf of Mexico, often forming enormous schools close to shore.