californian anchovy
Engraulis mordax
Anchovy from dense schools along the North Pacific coast, as far as Mexico. It goes to fishmeal and oil and is used as tuna bait.
Also called: manjuba-da-califórnia, anchoveta norteña, anchoveta de california, californian anchovy
- maximum
- 25 cm
- record/max.
- 0.1 kg
- depth
- 0–310 m
who is the californian anchovy
Anchovy of the family Engraulidae, with a very pointed snout and a silvery band along the flank that fades with age. It reaches 24.8 cm and 68 g, and its common size is 15 cm. It lives in coastal waters, mostly up to 30 km from shore, but it appears up to 480 km out, and enters bays and coves. It forms tight schools and feeds on krill, copepods and crustacean larvae. It spawns throughout the year, mostly in winter and early spring. It goes to fishmeal, oil and tuna bait, and is sometimes canned.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the californian anchovy; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- Spawns inside coves or in open sea, mostly at night.
identification
Anchovy with a very pointed snout, with the maxilla reaching almost to the rear edge of the gill cover. The silvery flank band appears in juveniles and disappears with growth. On the Mexican coast, the Pacific anchovy (Cetengraulis mysticetus) has a short snout and a deeper head. The Peruvian anchoveta (Engraulis ringens), from the south, has a long, prominent snout.
Loading the next 7 days…
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
From Vancouver Island, Canada, to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California; in Latin America, only in Mexico, in coastal waters and bays.
Habitat: Coastal and shelf waters, in tight schools, down to 219 m deep.
rules for the californian anchovy
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
Harmless. It is hardly ever caught with a rod, and its main importance is as bait and in the fishmeal industry.
in the kitchen
Sometimes canned, but most goes to fishmeal and fish oil and to tuna bait.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.0055, b = 3.08; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Engraulis mordax (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Engraulis mordaxNames by country and language.
