European Pilchard

Identification

The sardine is a small, silvery fish of 15 to 25 cm with a row of dark spots along the upper flank (not always visible). The body is rounder than that of the herring, with distinctive radiating stripes on the gill cover. The lower jaw protrudes slightly.

Behavior & ecology

A warmth-loving schooling fish feeding on plankton in coastal waters. Traditionally found in the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of Portugal, Spain, and France. Due to climate warming, its range is expanding northward into the North Sea.

In the Netherlands

Until recently a rare visitor to Dutch waters, but increasingly observed in the North Sea and along the coast due to water warming. The sardine is commercially one of the most important fish species worldwide.