The anchovy is a small but common salt-water fish. A small green fish with blue reflections due to a silver longitudinal stripe that runs from the base of the caudal fin. The body shape is variable with more slender fish in northern populations. Anchovies swim in huge schools and feed on algae and zooplankton. They are found in scattered areas throughout the world's oceans, but are concentrated in temperate waters and are rare or absent in very cold or very warm seas. Large schools can be found in shallow, brackish areas with muddy bottoms, as in estuaries and bays. Anchovies are harvested by purse seine.
Anchovies are mild, with many small bones which are easily eaten with the meat. Mostly canned for European and American markets, the bones are undetectable after processing. Cured Anchovies were originally left whole and packed in salt, but now they tend to be boned, cleaned and preserved in salt or oil and sold in tins or jars.
