Silversides are easily recognized by the silver stripe running the length of their slender bodies. Of several species that might appear in our nets anywhere in the Hudson, the most common by far is the Atlantic silverside, which is found in brackish and salty water, ranging upriver to the Highlands around West Point.

Silversides are small fish, not often more than five inches long. Along with herring and anchovies, they are one of the most important prey species for striped bass, bluefish, weakfish, and other predatory fish.