Atlantic Silverside

Menidia menidia (species), “Green Smelt”, “Northern Silverside”, “Tidewater Silverside”

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The Atlantic silverside (Menidia menidia) also known as spearing in the north east of the United States, is a small species of fish from the West Atlantic, ranging from the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada to northeastern Florida in USA. It is one of the most common fish in the Chesapeake Bay and in the Barnegat Bay. They are a common subject of scientific research because of their sensitivity to environmental changes. The fish is about 15 cm (5.9 in) long, mostly silver and white. It eats smaller (biotic) animals and plants – small crustaceans, algae, annelid worms, shrimp, zooplankton, copepods, amphipods, squid, and insects. The Atlantic silverside's predators are larger predatory fish – striped bass, blue fish, Atlantic mackerel – and many shore birds, including egrets, terns,…