Europe European anchovies are abundant in the
Mediterranean and formerly also the
Black and
Azov seas (see below). They are regularly caught on the coasts of
Bulgaria,
Croatia,
France,
Georgia,
Greece,
Italy,
Albania,
Romania,
Russia,
Spain,
Turkey and
Ukraine. The range of the species also extends along the Atlantic coast of Europe to the south of
Norway. In winter it is common off Devon and Cornwall (
United Kingdom), but has not hitherto been caught in such numbers as to be of commercial importance.
Zuiderzee and English Channel Formerly they were caught in large numbers off the coast of the
Netherlands in summer when they entered the
Wadden Sea and
Zuiderzee. After the closing of the
Zuiderzee they were still found in the Wadden Sea until the 1960s. They were also caught in the estuary of the
Scheldt. There is reason to believe that anchovies at the western end of the
English Channel in November and December migrate from the
Zuiderzee and the
Scheldt in the autumn, returning there the following spring. They were believed to be an isolated population, for none come from the south in summer to occupy the
English Channel, though the species does exist off the coast of
Portugal. The explanation appears to be that in summer, the shallow and landlocked waters of the Zuiderzee and the sea off the Dutch coast get warmer than the coastal waters off Britain, so anchovies can spawn and maintain their numbers in warmer Dutch waters better. Dutch naturalists on the shores of the Zuiderzee first described their reproduction and development. Spawning takes place in June and July. The eggs are buoyant and transparent like most fish eggs, but are unusual in being sausage-shaped, instead of globular. They resemble sprat and
pilchard eggs in having a segmented yolk and no oil globule. Larvæ hatch two or three days after fertilization, and are minute and transparent. In August young specimens, c. in length, are found in the Zuiderzee, and these must derive from the previous summer's spawning. There is no evidence to decide the question whether all the young anchovies as well as the adults leave the Zuiderzee in autumn, but, considering the winter temperature there, it is probable that they do. Eggs have also been found in the
Bay of Naples, near
Marseille, off the coast of the
Netherlands, and once at least off the coast of
Lancashire. The occurrence of anchovies in the English Channel has been carefully studied at the
Marine Biological Association Laboratory in
Plymouth. They were most abundant in 1889 and 1890. In the former year considerable numbers were taken off Dover in drift nets of small mesh used for the capture of sprats. In the following December large numbers were taken together with sprats at Torquay. In November 1890 a thousand of the fish were obtained in two days from the pilchard boats fishing near Plymouth; these were caught near the Eddystone.
Mediterranean, Black Sea and Azov Sea in the
Ligurian Sea, Italy In areas around the Black Sea, the European anchovy is called
gávros (Γαύρος) in
Greek,
hamsie in
Romanian, ქაფშია (
Kapshia) or ქაფშა (
Kapsha) in
Georgian,
hamsi in
Turkish,
hapsi in Pontic dialect of Turkish,
hapsia (plural) in
Pontic Greek, Hapchia in
Laz,
хамсия (
hamsiya) in
Bulgarian, and
хамса (
hamsa) in
Russian and
Ukrainian. Its
Ancient Greek name was ἀφύη,
aphýē, later
Latinized into
apiuva, hence the
standard Italian acciuga and the
Croatian inćun through the
Genoese dialectal
anciúa.
Modern Greek also uses αντζούγια
antsúya, a variant of the Genoese form, for processed – as opposed to the fresh
gávros – anchovy products. Black Sea adult anchovies can reach around . In the summer,
hamsi migrates north to warm shallow waters of the
Azov Sea to feed and breed, returning to the deep for the winter by migrating through the
Strait of Kerch. During migration the fish moves in huge
schools, and are actively hunted by
gulls and
dolphins.
Hamsi makes up a considerable part of
fishing and
fish processing industries, either
canned or frozen. In Turkey, it is the staple food of the local Black Sea cuisine, widely used in pan dishes, baked goods, even as dessert. In Bulgaria
hamsiya is traditionally fried and served in cheap fast-food restaurants along the shore, typically with
beer. Since the 1990s the dominant position of fried
hamsiya is fading but still popular. In Spain, they are called "anchoa" or "boquerón", when they are eaten pickled. They are so typical in
Málaga that the inhabitant of this Andalusian city is also called "boquerón". Anchovy populations in the Mediterranean were severely depleted in the 1980s by the
invasive comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi which eats the eggs and young, they have since stabilized albeit at a much lower level.
Off Africa (East Atlantic and West Indian Oceans) European anchovies are commercially important down the west coast of Africa, although they are most abundant at the north end of this range. The species is most commercially important in
Morocco. In
Mauritania, artisanal fishers do not target the species, and commercial fisheries have size limitations. In
West Africa, these anchovies are widely fished and eaten. In
Nigeria,
Ghana, and
Benin, it is an abundant and important commercial species. After the end of the upwelling season ends the
Sardinella fishery, fishers change net size to catch anchovies. In
Guinea,
the Gambia, and
Senegal, it is not an important commercial species. South of the
Angola/
Namibia border,
Engraulis encrasicolus (the European anchovy) mixes with
Engraulis capensis, the South African anchovy. The Namibian fishery is significantly involved in fishmeal and fish oil production. European anchovies are also found in
upwelling areas off the east coast of Africa. == Fisheries ==