THE shoals of fish that floated up in the Dawkins Pond canal in Portmore on Monday evening are anchovies, not sprat as was previously announced.

“This is the Dusky Anchovy, Ctengraulis edulens, family Engraulidae (Anchovies),” zoologist Dr Karl Aiken told the Jamaica Observer after inspecting photographs of the dead fish.

“It is a close relative, but a different fish family from the sprats and herrings. It is common in parts of the harbour where there are mangroves present,” he said.

Explaining the difference between the two, Aiken, who is a senior lecturer in zoology at the University of the West Indies, pointed to diet and habitat.

“While sprats prefer open waters, like the middle of the harbour away from shore, anchovies prefer quiet, shallow mangrove-protected waters where they filter-feed on phytoplankton which are microscopic marine plants. Sprats and herrings feed on zooplankton, that is microscopic marine animals that swim in the water column,” he said.

“Anchovies reproduce (breed) in such mangrove areas but also do so in deeper waters in the rest of the harbour, but would be mostly found near the mangroves,” Aiken continued.

Anchovies are traditonally prepared by first gutting and salting them in brine, after which they are allowed to mature then packed in oil or salt. This gives it a characteristically strong flavour. It can also be pickled in vinegar.

In some Nordic countries, the name “anchovies” refers to a seasoning, which is made from sprats and herring.