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Fish4Life provides everything you need to enjoy seafood responsibly. Explore information and practical tips for safe and sustainable seafood consumption, and help protect marine life by reporting undersized or illegally traded seafood.

European anchovy
Engraulis encrasicolus
Γαύρος

Sustainability Status

Currently considered sustainable

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Help us protect our seas by reporting illegal or undersized fish that you see in markets, restaurants or fishing boats
Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Legal

Minimum Size

9 cm

Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

12 cm

Avoid Consumption Period

May – October

Advice for Consumption

Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable.

Greek legislation sets an unsustainably small legal minimum size and no closed season, leaving juvenile and spawning fish completely unprotected.

Choose responsibly by respecting sustainable size limits and avoiding consumption during the breeding season.

Archipelagos Tips

Choosing larger, mature fish helps reduce fishing pressure on juvenile individuals.

Common names

FR

Anchois

it

Acciuga

es

Anchoa

tr

Hamsi

pt

Biqueirão

nl

Ansjovis

de

Anchovis

toxicity

This species is safe to consume.

iucn info

Least concern (LC)

Description

The fish has a pointed snout, but its upper jaw is short and has a blunt tip. There are small, comb-like structures called gill rakers on the back side of the third upper gill bone. The fish has a silver stripe along its side, but this stripe fades as the fish gets older.

It looks like Engraulis ringens (Peruvian anchoveta), the Engraulis japonicus (Japanese anchovy), and the Engraulis anchoita (Argentine anchovy).

Did you know?

The European anchovy swims with its mouth open to filter the food!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Feeds on planktonic organisms.

habitat

Mainly oceanic, marine species, forming large schools.
Tolerate salinity so it enters lagoons, estuaries and lakes, especially during spawning.
Tends to move further north and into surface waters in summer, retreating and descending in winter.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 20 cm
Max weight: 49 g
Depth range: 0-400 m

breeding & Growth

Pelagic spawners.
Gametogenesis is continuous, multiple spawning.
Spawns from April to November with peaks usually in the warmest months.
Growth rate: Fast (k = 0.51yr⁻¹).

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 2-3 years
Max reported age: 5 years
Distribution: From the North Sea to South Africa. Present in the Mediterranean, Black and Azov seas, with stray individuals in Suez Canal and Gulf of Suez.

appearance changes

Appearance changes are generally moderate and ontogenetic, mainly involving body proportions and pigmentation. The adults are more robust and have a more distinct dark-blue/green dorsal coloration.

Reproductive Cycle

Eggs are ellipsoidal to oval, floating in the upper 50m and hatching in 24-65 hours.
The limit of the spawning season is dependent on temperature and is therefore more restricted in northern areas.
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If you’d like to learn more about the work of the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, please visit our website: https://archipelago.gr/

Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Illegal species – Fishing, selling and consumption of this species is illegal

Fishstocks – Declining due to overexploitation

Think before you eat – This species faces increasing pressures and should only be consumed responsibly

Bad choice – Consumption of this species is unsustainable

Health concerns –
Can accumulate dangerously high levels of toxic substances harmful to health

Alien / Invasive – This species is not from this region and can have a negative impact on the ecosystem and threaten local biodiversity, so it is sustainable to eat

Aquafarms – You will commonly find this species coming from aquafarms