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Sardinops sagax  (Jenyns, 1842)

South American pilchard
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Sardinops sagax
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Namibia country information

Common names: Pelser, Pilchard, Sardyn
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: highly commercial | Ref: Bianchi, G., K.E. Carpenter, J.-P. Roux, F.J. Molloy, D. Boyer and H.J. Boyer, 1999
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: The Namibian stock moves seasonally to southern Angola (Ref. 27121). Specimens held at the MFMR (Ref. 27121). Used to be the backbone of the Namibian pelagic fishing industry, with catches over 1 million tons per year in the 1960's, but fluctuated around 50,000 tons in the 1980's (Ref. 27121, 36731). Caught with purse seines (Ref. 27121). Also Ref. 188, 3259, 5286, 9987, 12484, 36731, 54854.
National Checklist:
Country Information: httpss://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/wa.html
National Fisheries Authority: https://www.benefit.org.na/
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Bianchi, G., K.E. Carpenter, J.-P. Roux, F.J. Molloy, D. Boyer and H.J. Boyer, 1999
National Database:

Classification / Names

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Clupeiformes (Herrings) > Clupeidae (Herrings, shads, sardines, menhadens) > Alosinae
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Common names from other countries

Сардина-сардинопс перуанская, Сардина-сардинопс австралийско-новозеландская, Сардина-сардинопс дальневосточная, ... more

Main reference

Whitehead, P.J.P. 1985. (Ref. 188)
 References | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 39.5 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9291); common length : 20.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 188); max. published weight: 486.00 g (Ref. 6885); max. reported age: 25 years (Ref. 188)

Length at first maturity
 Lm 9.0  range ? - ? cm

Environment

Marine; pelagic-neritic; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 200 m (Ref. 188)

Climate / Range

Subtropical; 9°C - 21°C (Ref. 6390), preferred 23°C (Ref. 107945); 61°N - 47°S, 145°W - 180°E (Ref. 36641)

Distribution

Indo-Pacific: southern Africa to the eastern Pacific (Ref. 27267). Three lineages were confirmed through cluster and parsimony analyses of haplotypic divergences: southern Africa (ocellatus) and Australia (neopilchardus); Chile (sagax) and California (caeruleus); and, Japan (melanostictus) (Ref. 36641).
 Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13-21; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 12 - 23; Vertebrae: 48 - 54. Body cylindrical and elongate; ventral part of operculum with clear cut bony striae radiating downwards; belly rounded with ventral scutes; back blue green; flanks white, with 1 to 3 series of dark spots along the middle (Ref. 55763). The radiating bony striae on the operculum distinguish this species from all other clupeids in the area. The radiating bony striae on the operculum distinguish this fish from all other clupeids in the area. In New Zealand the species appears to grow larger (21.3 cm standard length; cf. 19.7 cm), has slightly larger eggs and a higher mean number of vertebrae (50.52; cf. 49 to 50.08 in various samples) (Ref. 859).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Neritic (Ref. 11230). A coastal species that forms large schools (Ref. 188). Occur at temperatures ranging from 16° to 23°C in summer and from 10° to 18°C in winter. Feed mainly on planktonic crustaceans. Young fish feed on zooplankton such as copepod and adults on phytoplankton (Ref. 39882). Oviparous, with pelagic eggs, and pelagic larvae (Ref. 265). Possibly can live up to 25 years (Ref. 265). In the California region, pilchards make northward migrations early in summer and travel back south again in autumn. With each year of life, the migration becomes farther (Ref. 6885). Marketed fresh, frozen or canned. Utilized mainly for fish meal; but also eaten fried and broiled (Ref. 9988). Main source of landing: NE Pacific: Mexico (Ref. 4931).

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

  Least Concern (LC) 

Threat to humans

  Harmless



Human uses

Fisheries: highly commercial; bait: usually

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Internet sources

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Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)
 PD50 = 1.0000 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278)
 2.8   ±0.1 se; Based on diet studies.

Resilience (Ref. 69278)
 Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.45; tm=2; tmax=13-25; Fec=10,000)

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)
 Low to moderate vulnerability (34 of 100)
Price category (Ref. 80766)
 Low