English
Scientific name: Sardina pilchardus
S. pilchardus is the only species of the genus Particularly known for forming large schools of thousands of fish and which often host other species of fish. Of great economic interest due to its organoleptic properties, it is the subject of intense fishing.
Characteristics
The body is elongated, greenish or iridescent blue on the back, silvery on the sides and whitish on the belly. One of the characteristics peculiar to the species is a row of rigid and pointed scales on the belly which together with other characteristics make it easily distinguishable from the european anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus). The scales, for example, are very large and very delicate while in anchovies they are small. The mouth is downturned and the eyes are large compared to the size of the body. In the western Mediterranean the adult can reach 27 cm in length but the common length is around 15-20 cm. It is a gregarious species that is organized in very numerous shoals, usually mixed with other species. The sardines, in fact, form groups that are distinguished only by size and not by species. The fish that form shoals with sardines are anchovies, other similar species of the Clupeidae family and in some cases also young specimens of red tuna and atlantic bonito. It is not a species that makes long journeys but carries out nictemeral migrations, at night it swims deep and during the day it moves towards the surface. It feeds exclusively on plankton, especially zooplankton and in particular copepod crustaceans of the genus Calanus.
Habitat
Sardine is a common species in the western Mediterranean and Adriatic Sea. Very popular species for its meat, it is subject to intensive fishing which in recent years has caused a decrease in the economically exploitable quantity of the population. Moving in shoals, considerable quantities are captured, especially using encircling nets. The minimum size for fishing and marketing according to Reg. EC 1967/2006 is 11 cm.
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