 Northern Anchovy (Engraulis mordax)
 Distribution of northern anchovies in San
Francisco Bay
Northern anchovy are planktivorus,
schooling fish that are seasonally common within bays and estuaries.
They range along the west coast of North America from Oregon to Baja
California. The northern anchovy is the most abundant species of fish
found in San Francisco Bay/Estuary and is an important forage
fish for other resident and migratory species in the estuarine system,
including salmon, jacksmelt, and striped bass. Within San Francisco Bay,
northern anchovies support a moderate commercial fishery for live bait.
The various life stages of northern anchovy are seasonally distributed
throughout the Bay and follow predictable dispersal patterns. The extent of
dispersal within the Bay appears to be a function of the environmental conditions
found within the various embayments, primarily temperature
and salinity. Immigration of the 1+ fish into San Francisco Bay is fairly
restricted to the more marine environments. Data from
offshore appear to indicate that the timing of the 1+ immigration may be in
response to the higher temperatures found within the Bay relative to ocean
temperatures, which may allow for earlier spawning
than would otherwise be possible.
Despite great fluctuations in annual abundance, northern anchovy remained the most abundant species found within the San Francisco Bay/Estuary, ranging form 74 to 98% of the total midwater catch.
Annual abundance Indices for the
northern anchovy are generated from the San Francisco Bay Monitoring Program using
midwater trawl data.
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