European pilchard

Sardina pilchardus

A small schooling clupeid of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. Its silvery shoals are harvested widely as sardines.

Key facts

European pilchard (Sardina pilchardus) is a filter feeder animal classified as Fish · Clupeiformes · Clupeidae.
Primary habitats are coast · open ocean, with a range across Atlantic Ocean · Palearctic.
Activity is cathemeral, sociality is herd, and conservation status is LC (Least Concern).
A small schooling clupeid of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.
Occurs from coastal to offshore surface waters of the northeastern Atlantic, Mediterranean, and nearby seas, especially productive upwelling areas.

Habitat range map

Native rangeOccasional / Transient

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Occurs from coastal to offshore surface waters of the northeastern Atlantic, Mediterranean, and nearby seas, especially productive upwelling areas.

The body is slender and silver with a blue-green back. Small dark spots may appear along the sides.

It swims in large schools and shifts depth between day and night. Schools tighten when predators approach.

It filters phytoplankton and zooplankton. Seasonal plankton abundance strongly affects growth.

Adults release eggs into open water, and larvae drift as surface plankton. Spawning seasons vary by region.

Pilchards have long been canned, salted, and eaten fresh. They are also important prey for seabirds, larger fish, and dolphins.