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,
Brown wrasse a blue-white longitudinal stripe on sides. Old specimens are dark blue, sometimes dark green or brownish. Soft part of dorsal, anal and caudal fins are outlined with light blue stripe. Smaller specimens form small, loose schools, but larger and older specimens are found solitary. It feeds on sea urchins, ophiuroids, mollusks, crabs and worms. Maturity occurs after two years at lengths between and . At age of 7, males measure around and females around . Maximum age is around 16–17 years. This species spawns from February to May in the western Mediterranean Sea. Demersal eggs are laid amongst rocks and