schools near the surface to feed

Size
Length: 10–15 cm, Weight: 10–30 g
Lifespan
3–5 years
Diet
Filter-feeder. Feeds on plankton, small crustaceans and fish eggs. Strains food from the water using fine gill rakers. Forms large surface schools that can be seen from the air as dark patches on the water.
Habitat
Coastal waters, harbours, estuaries and sheltered bays. Prefers surface waters with high plankton concentrations. Often found in large schools near the surface, feeding on zooplankton and fish eggs.
Range
Found throughout coastal waters of the North and South Islands. Most common in northern harbours, estuaries and sheltered bays. Also found in Australia and the Pacific. Seasonal visitor to colder southern waters in summer.
Endemism
Native
Main Threats
None significant. This species is common and widespread. Localised threats include overfishing in some areas, habitat loss from coastal development and climate change affecting plankton populations. An important forage fish.
Population
Anchovies are a vital part of the marine food web, feeding larger fish, seabirds and marine mammals. They are not commercially fished in New Zealand but are occasionally caught as bycatch. The Māori name Kokowhaawhaa refers to their silvery appearance.
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
Human Risk
harmless
Handling Note
common bait fish, handle with wet hands to protect slime
Conservation Note
Native marine fish; commercially harvested and managed under the Quota Management System rather than NZTCS.
Te Ao Māori
In Māori tradition, the anchovy was the food of the sea birds. Its shimmering schools were a sign that summer had arrived. That the ocean was healthy and full of life. The name Kokowhaawhaa refers to its silvery, shimmering appearance in the water. It was not a major food source for Māori, who preferred larger fish. But its presence was noted as a sign of a productive coastline.
Silver shimmers on the surface. The anchovy is small, slender and fast. It has a brilliant silvery stripe along its side. It lives in huge schools near the surface. It feeds on plankton and fish eggs. The anchovy is a vital part of the marine food web. Without it, the kahawai, kingfish and seabirds would have nothing to eat. The system relies on this small fish. Its body is compressed and streamlined. It is built for speed and manoeuvrability. The lower jaw projects forward. The mouth is large for such a small fish. It is filled with fine teeth. These help strain plankton from the water. The silvery stripe along the flank reflects light. This makes the fish difficult for predators to track in the shimmering surface waters. Camouflage is key. Anchovies school in enormous numbers. Sometimes they cover hectares of ocean surface. From above, the schools appear as dark patches on the water. From below, the shimmer of thousands of silvery bodies creates a moving, liquid mirror. This confuses predators. This is the strategy of the forage fish. Safety in numbers. The individual disappears into the whole. They are not targeted by commercial fisheries in New Zealand. But they are occasionally caught as bycatch in trawl nets. Their real value is ecological. They convert microscopic plankton into protein. This flows up the food chain to the kahawai, the kingfish, the gannets and the dolphins. The energy transfer is efficient. Summer brings them into northern harbours and estuaries. The water warms. The plankton blooms. The anchovies arrive in shimmering, pulsing schools. They are a sign that the system is working. That the ocean is healthy. That the food web is intact. The arrival signals abundance. To watch an anchovy school from a wharf is to see the ocean breathing. The surface dimples. The silver flashes. The school shifts and reforms. It is a single organism made of thousands of parts. And then, without warning, it is gone. It vanishes into the green water. It leaves only ripples and the memory of silver. The moment passes.