Species: |
Menidia menidia |
Common Names: |
Atlantic Silverside, Silverside |
Family |
Atherinidae (Silversides), subfamily: Menidiinae |
Order: |
Atheriniformes |
Description: |
Maximum total length is 15.0 cm (male/unsexed); max. reported age: 2 years. Anal soft-rays: 23-26. The Atlantic silverside is a long, slender, and thin-bodied fish with two dorsal fins, translucent gray green above, a rounded white belly, and large scales with smooth margins. The caudal fin is moderately forked It has a short head with large eyes and a small oblique mouth. The top of the head, nose, and chin are dusky gray. Along each side, from the pectoral fin to its caudal fin, is a distinct silver band outlined by a narrow black stripe. Silversides resemble anchovies, differing mainly by a smaller mouth. |
Fishery Status:
|
The Atlantic silverside is one of most common and abundant fishes found in the Chesapeake Bay and is ecologically valuable as forage for other fishes. For fisheries there is only a minor commercial value, mainly as bait but they are used and an indicator for presence of larger sport fish: flocks of birds hovering and diving usually indicate the presence of silversides as baitfish being fed upon by a school of juvenile bluefish or stripers. |
Predators: |
They are favored prey for larger predatory fish, such as mackerel, striped bass, and bluefish, and are frequently eaten by birds such as terms and cormorants. |
Prey/Food source: |
This omnivorous fish feeds on zooplankton, copepods, shrimp, amphipods, young squid, worms, and even insects and algae. |
Life History: |
Occur in the bay all year long. Inhabiting tidal creeks and grass flats during the summer and migrates to deeper water in the winter, with some individual traveling as far as the waters of the intercontinental shelf. Spawning cycle is lunar related, occurring strictly during the daylight hours in large schools of a few dozen to hundreds of fish and coincides with high tide. The first spawning usually occurs at a new or full moon, followed by spawning peaks at 2- week intervals. Spawning occurs in the intertidal zone or shallow estuarine waters from March to July, with the eggs attached by means of adhesive filaments to vegetation. |
Habitat & Range: |
Atlantic silversides congregate in large schools that usually consist of similar-sized fish. They are found along the shore, often within a few feet of the water's edge. The silverside is commonly found in brackish waters where streams and rivers meet the sea, swimming among the submerged grasses. They are rarely found in water deeper than a few feet in summer, but will descend to greater depths in the winter to avoid the cold temperatures of the water.
Western Atlantic: Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada to northeastern Florida in USA. Sandy or gravel shores, near shoreline, brackish estuaries, salt-water river mouths. pelagic; freshwater; brackish; marine ; Climate: temperate; 2 - 33°C; 51°N - 29°N. Inhabits sandy seashores and mouths of inlets |
Additional Links |
http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/wdb/pub/0117.pdf |
Main Reference: |
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2001. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, 06 February 2002 |
