An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water.
Anchovy
Life restoration of the extinct "saber-toothed anchovy" Monosmilus
European anchovy, Engraulis encrasicolus
Peruvian anchoveta (E. ringens), one of the most commercially important fish species
Forage fish, also called prey fish or bait fish, are small pelagic fish that feed on plankton and other tiny organisms. They are preyed on by larger predators, including larger fish, seabirds and marine mammals. Typical ocean forage fish feed near the base of the food chain on plankton, often by filter feeding. They include particularly fishes of the order Clupeiformes, but also other small fish, including halfbeaks, silversides, smelt such as capelin and goldband fusiliers.
These small goldband fusiliers are typical forage fish. They swim in large schools for protection from larger predators.
Copepod
Herring ram feeding on a school of copepods
Image: Anchovy closeup