Skip to content
fishing forecast

inland silverside

Menidia beryllina · Atherinopsidae · forage fish

EstuarySeaessential profile

Freshwater and brackish silverside of the eastern United States and northeastern Mexico. In reservoirs, it serves as food for sport fish.

Also called: peixe-rei-do-interior, plateadito salado, inland silverside

Scientific illustration of Inland silverside
maximum
15 cm
depth
0–30 m
location

Sample location: choose yours to see the forecast for where you fish.

period

Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…

the species

everything about the inland silverside

overview

who is the inland silverside

Fish of the family Atherinopsidae, up to 15 cm and common size near 7.8 cm. It occurs from the eastern United States to the Gulf of Mexico and northeastern Mexico. It lives in salt, brackish and fresh water, and goes up rivers, near the surface of clear, calm waters, over sand or gravel. There are populations with no contact with the sea, which live in reservoirs and breed in fresh water. It feeds on zooplankton, invertebrates, fish eggs and larvae, and diatoms. It has commercial fishing.

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 inland silverside; in the meantime, see the similar species.

how to recognize it

identification

Elongated, silvery fish, up to 15 cm, with the silver band on the flanks typical of silversides. It usually stays near the surface of clear, calm waters, over sand or gravel. It enters fresh water and can be found in reservoirs, which sets it apart from Membras martinica, a silverside of coastal waters and bays.

distribution

where found

open on the large map

In Mexico, it occurs in the Gulf up to the northeast of the country, in fresh, brackish and marine water.

Habitat: Near the surface of clear, calm waters, in rivers, reservoirs and coastal areas, over sand or gravel.

what the law says

rules for the inland silverside

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 to anglers, with no dangerous spines or teeth.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00537, b = 3.09; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.

estimated weight

—

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.

  1. scientific FishBase: Menidia beryllina (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
  2. scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Menidia beryllinaNames by country and language.
don't confuse

similar species