Anchovies as food Anchovies as food Anchovies are a family (Engraulidae) of small, common salt-water forage fish. There are 144 species in 17 genera, found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Anchovies are usually classified as an oily fish. They are small, green fish with blue reflections due to a silver longitudinal stripe that runs from the base of the caudal fin. They range from to in adult length, and the body shape is variable with more slender fish in northern populations. A traditional method of processing and preserving anchovies is to gut and salt them in brine, allow them to mature,
Banded archerfish 23 scales between the first dorsal spine and the posterior nostrils. Certain areas of the body are tinged green. The back of the fish is olive-green or brown. The dorsal fin is yellowish-green and located towards the posterior end, and its base is shorter than that of the anal fin. The caudal fin is "dirty green" and about the same height until the point of attachment, where it becomes shallower. The anal fin is silver. The body of the banded archerfish is oblong in shape and raised on the posterior side. The body is generally silver-white in colour, though varying