Yellow Anchovy, Anchoa scofieldi

Yellow Anchovy, Anchoa scofieldi. Fish provided by the commercial bait salesmen of Puerto Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, February 2007. Length: 6.5 cm (2.5 inches). Fish identification courtesy of H.J. Walker, Jr., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California.

Yellow Anchovy, Anchoa scofieldi. Fish provided by the commercial bait salesmen of Puerto Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, December 2020. Length: 12.6 cm (5.0 inches).

Yellow Anchovy, Anchoa scofieldi. Fish provided by the commercial bait salesmen of Puerto Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, June 2021. Length: 13.7 cm (5.4 inches). Identification courtesy of Chris Moore, Peoria, Arizona.

The Yellow Anchovy, Anchoa scofieldi, is a member of Anchovy or Engraudlidae Family, that is also known as Scofieldi’s Anchovy and in Mexico as anchoa amarilla. Globally, there are thirty-five species in the genus Anchoa, of which twenty-three are found in Mexican waters, nine in the Atlantic and fourteen in the Pacific Ocean.

The Yellow Anchovy is characterized by a moderately elongated, strongly-compressed body with a short snout featuring a pointed tip that is smaller than the diameter of the eyes. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 21 to 25 rays with a base that is of medium length and originates in the middle of their dorsal fin; their dorsal fin originates at mid-body; and, they have short pectoral fins. A key identification characteristic is the broad silver stripe along the flank that is approximately the width of the diameter of the eyes. A positive identification is only possible by counting their gill rakers (12 to 14).

The Yellow Anchovy is found over sand bottoms at depths up to 9 m (30 feet) and reach a maximum of 8.0 cm (3.1 inches) in length.  The Yellow Anchovy is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Yellow Anchovy is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific Oceanc but has a limited distribution being found only along on the coast of the mainland from Mazatlán, Sinaloa, south to Guatemala. The fish photographed above, collected around the tip of Baja, documents a significant range extension for this species.

The Yellow Anchovy is mostly likely confused with the Bignose Anchovy, Anchoa nasus (long snout, anal fin originating under the end of the dorsal fin, 21 to 28 gill rakers) and the Short Anchovy, Anchoa curta (21 to 26 gill rakers, silver stripe measuring one-half of the eye diameter).

From a conservation perspective the Yellow Anchovy is currently considered to be of Least Concern being common with a wide distribution and stable populations. They are  of limited interest to most often subject to incorrect identifications. If available they would be utilized by recreational anglers as a live bait, cut bait, or chum.