View source for Sardine

{{Short description|Common name for various small, oily forage fish}}
{{About|the fish|use in food|Sardines as food|other uses|Sardine (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|Pilchard|other meanings|Pilchard (disambiguation)}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{multiple image
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 |header    = Sardines
 |image1    = Sardines - 鰯(いわし).jpg
 |caption1  = Sardines are small [[epipelagic fish]] that sometimes [[Fish migration|migrate]] along the coast in [[Shoaling and schooling|large schools]]. They are an important [[forage fish]] for larger forms of marine life.
 |image2    = Time series for global capture of all sardines.png
 |caption2  = Global commercial capture of sardines in tonnes reported by the [[FAO]] 1950–2009<ref name=FAOdata>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/search/en |title=FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture – FI fact sheet search |website=fao.org |language=en |access-date=10 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508190513/http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/search/en |archive-date=8 May 2009}}</ref>
}}

'''Sardine''' and '''pilchard''' are [[common name]]s for various species of small, [[Oily fish|oily]] [[forage fish]] in the [[herring]] suborder [[Clupeoidei]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2004/jun/oilyfishdefinition |title=What's an oily fish? |date=24 June 2004 |publisher=Food Standards Agency |url-status=live |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20101210005807/http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2004/jun/oilyfishdefinition |archive-date=10 December 2010 }}</ref> The term "sardine" was first used in [[English language|English]] during the early 15th century; a somewhat dubious etymology says it comes from the [[Italy|Italian]] island of [[Sardinia]], around which sardines were once supposedly abundant.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=sardine |title=Sardine {{!}} Origin and meaning of sardine by Online Etymology Dictionary|website=etymonline.com |language=en |access-date=10 August 2018 |archive-date=22 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822044142/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=sardine }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sardine |url=http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/knowhow/glossary/sardine/ |work=The Good Food Glossary |publisher=BBC Worldwide |year=2009 |access-date=1 November 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012193334/http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/knowhow/glossary/sardine |archive-date=12 October 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.etimo.it/?term=sardina |title=Sarda, Sardina |work=Dizionario Etimologico Online}}</ref>

The terms "sardine" and "pilchard" are not precise, and what is meant depends on the region. The [[United Kingdom]]'s [[Sea Fish Industry Authority]], for example, classifies sardines as young pilchards.<ref name="seafish">{{cite web |url=http://www.seafish.org/resources/details.asp?id=238&i=13 |title=FAQs |publisher=Seafish |access-date=22 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722073347/http://www.seafish.org/resources/details.asp?id=238&i=13 |archive-date=22 July 2011 }}</ref> One criterion suggests fish shorter in length than {{convert|15|cm|abbr=on|0}} are sardines, and larger fish are pilchards.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Stummer, Robin |title=Who are you calling pilchard? It's 'Cornish sardine' to you... |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/who-are-you-calling-pilchard-its-cornish-sardine-to-you-536136.html |work=The Independent |date=17 August 2003 |access-date=1 November 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100912070106/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/who-are-you-calling-pilchard-its-cornish-sardine-to-you-536136.html |archive-date=12 September 2010 }}</ref>

The [[FAO]]/[[WHO]] Codex standard for [[canned sardines]] cites 21 species that may be classed as sardines.<ref name="codex">{{cite web |url=http://www.codexalimentarius.net/download/standards/108/CXS_094e.pdf |title=Codex standard for canned sardines and sardine-type products codex stan 94 –1981 REV. 1–1995 |access-date=18 January 2007 |work=Codex Alimentarius |publisher=FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission |pages=1–7 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070325224831/http://www.codexalimentarius.net/download/standards/108/CXS_094e.pdf |archive-date=25 March 2007 }}</ref> [[FishBase]], a database of information about fish, calls at least six species pilchards, over a dozen just sardines, and many more with the two basic names qualified by various adjectives.

==Etymology==
The word ''sardine'' first appeared in English in the 15th century, a [[loanword]] from French {{lang|fr|sardine}}, derived from [[Latin (language)|Latin]] {{lang|la|sardina}}, from [[Ancient Greek]] {{lang|grc|σαρδίνη}} (''sardínē'') or {{lang|grc|σαρδῖνος}} (''sardĩnos''),<ref>{{cite web |title=sardine |website=Wiktionary |url=https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sardine |access-date=28 March 2018}}</ref> possibly from the Greek {{lang|el|Σαρδώ}} (''Sardō'') '[[Sardinia]]'. [[Athenaios]] quotes a fragmentary passage from [[Aristotle]] mentioning the fish {{lang|grc|σαρδῖνος}} (''sardĩnos''), referring to the sardine or pilchard.<ref>{{cite web |title=σαρδίνη |website=The Online Liddell-Scott-Jones Greek-English Lexicon |url=http://stephanus.tlg.uci.edu/lsj/#eid=95990 |access-date = 28 March 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110512001517/http://stephanus.tlg.uci.edu/lsj/#eid=95990 |url-status = live |archive-date = 12 May 2011}}</ref> However, Sardinia is over 1000&nbsp;km from Athens, so it seems "hardly probable that the Greeks would have obtained fish from so far as Sardinia at a time relatively so early as that of Aristotle",<ref name=etymonline>{{cite web |title=sardine (n.) |website=Online Etymology Dictionary |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/sardine |access-date = 28 March 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190421175724/https://www.etymonline.com/word/sardine |archive-date = 21 April 2019 |url-status = live}}</ref> although the [[Mycenaean Greece|Myceneans]] traded with the Sardinians during the latter Bronze Age.<ref>C. Michael Hogan, "Cydonia", ''Modern Antiquarian'', 23 January 2008</ref>

The flesh of some sardines or pilchards is a reddish-brown colour similar to some varieties of red [[sardonyx]] or sardine stone; this word derives from {{lang|grc|σαρδῖον}} (''sardĩon'') with a root meaning 'red' and possibly cognate with [[Sardis]], the capital of ancient [[Lydia]] (now western [[Turkey]]) where it was obtained. However, the name may refer to the reddish-pink colour of the gemstone [[sard]] (or carnelian) known to the ancients.<ref>{{EB1911 |wstitle=Sard|short=1 |noicon=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sardius, Sardine |website=Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words (1940), hosted at StudyLight.org. |url=https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/ved/s/sardius-sardine.html |access-date=28 March 2018}}</ref>

The phrase "packed like sardines" (in a [[tin can|tin]]) is recorded from 1845.<ref name=etymonline /> The phrase "packed up like sardines" appears in ''The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction'' from 1841,<ref>{{Cite journal |title=The Cottage Bonnet |journal=The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction: Containing Original Papers |page=155 |issue=1075 |date=4 September 1841 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8kIFAAAAQAAJ&q=sardines&pg=PA155}}</ref> and is a translation of "encaissés comme des sardines", which appears in {{lang|fr|La Femme, le mari, et l'amant}} from 1829.<ref>{{Cite book |title=La femme, le mari, et l'amant |last=de Kock |first=Paul |author-link=Charles Paul de Kock |orig-date=1829 |year=1879 |page=1 |language=fr |place=Sceaux, Paris |publisher=Imprimerie de Charaire et fils |url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k56570838/f1.image.vertical}}</ref> Other early appearances of the idiom are "packed together&nbsp;... like sardines in a tin-box" (1845),<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Quaker City, Or, The Monks of Monk-Hall: A Romance of Philadelphia Life, Mystery, and Crime |first=George |last=Lippard |orig-date=1845 |year=1849 |place=Philadelphia |publisher=T. B. Peterson & Brothers |page=222 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=10NHAQAAMAAJ&q=sardines&pg=PA222}}</ref> and "packed&nbsp;... like sardines in a can" (1854).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_LABAAAAQAAJ&q=sardines+can&pg=PA61 |title=Revelations of a slave trader; or Twenty years' adventures of Captain Canot |editor-last=Mayer |editor-first=Brantz |editor-link=Brantz Mayer |first=Théodore |last=Canot|author-link=Théodore Canot |date=September 1854 |place=London |publisher=Richard Bentley |page=61}}, although this is a free rendering from the French original "...il fallut...les entassér commes des sardines." ({{cite book |last=Canot |first=Théodore |title=Le capitaine Canot, ou vingt années de la vie d'un négrier |orig-date=1854 |year=1860 |language=fr |place=Paris |publisher=Amyot |page=88 |url=https://archive.org/details/vingtannesdela00conn/page/n95/mode/2up?q=sardines}}) where 'entassér' can mean 'to cram together.</ref>

==Genera==
{{common fish}}

Sardines occur in several genera.
*Genus ''[[Dussumieria]]''
**[[Rainbow sardine]] (''Dussumieria acuta'')
**[[Slender rainbow sardine]] (''Dussumieria elopsoides'')
*Genus ''[[Escualosa]]''
**[[Slender white sardine]] (''Escualosa elongata'')
**[[Escualosa thoracata|White sardine]] (''Escualosa thoracata'')
*Genus ''[[European pilchard|Sardina]]''
**[[European pilchard]] (true sardine) (''Sardina pilchardus'')
*Genus ''[[Sardinella]]''
**[[Goldstripe Sardinella|Goldstripe sardinella]] (''Sardinella gibbosa'')
**[[Indian Oil Sardine|Indian oil sardine]] (''Sardinella longiceps'')
**[[Round sardinella]] (''Sardinella aurita'')
**[[Freshwater sardine]] (''Sardinella tawilis'')
**[[Marquesan sardinella]] (''Sardinella marquesensis'')
*Genus ''[[South American pilchard|Sardinops]]''
**[[South American pilchard]] (''Sardinops sagax'')

Although they are not true sardines, [[sprat]]s are sometimes marketed as sardines. For example, the [[European sprat]], ''Sprattus sprattus'', is sometimes marketed as the 'brisling sardine'.

==Species==
{| class="wikitable collapsible"
! colspan="15" |Commercially significant species
|-
! scope="col" rowspan=2 |Genus
! scope="col" rowspan=2 |Common name
! scope="col" rowspan=2 |Scientific name
! scope="col" colspan=2 |Max. length
! scope="col" colspan=2 |Typ. length
! scope="col" colspan=2 |Max. mass
! scope="col" rowspan=2 |Max. age<br /> years
! scope="col" rowspan=2 |[[Trophic level|Trophic<br />level]]
! scope="col" rowspan=2 |[[FishBase|Fish-<br />Base]]
! scope="col" rowspan=2 |[[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]]
! scope="col" rowspan=2 |[[Integrated Taxonomic Information System|ITIS]]
! scope="col" rowspan=2 |[[International Union for Conservation of Nature|IUCN<br />status]]
|-
! cm
! in
! cm
! in
! g
! oz
|-
| ''[[European pilchard|Sardina]]''
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |[[European pilchard]]
| ''Sardina pilchardus'' <small>(Walbaum, 1792)</small>
| {{convert|27.5|cm|in|disp=table}}
| {{convert|20.0|cm|in|disp=table}}
| colspan=2 |
| style="text-align:right;" |15
| style="text-align:center;" |3.05
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{FishBase |genus=Sardina |species=pilchardus |month=April |year=2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2910/en |title=Species Fact Sheet: ''Sardina pilchardus'' |publisher=[[FAO]] |language=en |access-date = 10 August 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120725235323/http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2910/en |archive-date = 25 July 2012 |url-status = live}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{ITIS |id=161813 |taxon=Sardina pilchardus |access-date=11 April 2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |[[File:LC IUCN 3 1.svg|link=Least Concern|alt=Least Concern]]<br /><ref name=IUCNpilchardus>{{Cite iucn |vauthors=Tous P, Sidibé A, Mbye E, de Morais L, Camara YH, Adeofe TA, Munroe T, Camara K, Cissoko K, Djiman R, Sagna A, Sylla M |title=European Pilchard – ''Sardina pilchardus'' |volume=2015 |article-number=e.T198580A15542481 |date=2015 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T198580A15542481.en }}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=4 |''[[Sardinops]]''
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |[[South American pilchard]]
| ''Sardinops sagax'' <small>(Jenyns, 1842)</small>
| {{convert|39.5|cm|in|disp=table}}
| {{convert|20.0|cm|in|disp=table}}
| {{convert|490|g|oz|disp=table}}
| style="text-align:right;" |25
| style="text-align:center;" |2.43
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{FishBase |genus=Sardinops |species=sagax |month=April |year=2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2091/en |title=Species Fact Sheet: ''Sardinops sagax'' |publisher=[[FAO]] |language=en |access-date = 10 August 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120729052256/http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2091/en |archive-date = 29 July 2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{ITIS |id=161729 |taxon=Sardinops sagax |access-date=11 April 2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |[[File:LC IUCN 3 1.svg|link=Least Concern|alt=Least Concern]]<br /><ref name=IUCNsagax>{{Cite iucn |vauthors=Gaughan D, Di Dario F, Hata H |title=''Sardinops sagax'' |volume=2018 |article-number=e.T183347A15602965 |date=2018 |access-date = 11 December 2018 }}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left; background: #efe; padding-left: 1.5em;" |[[Japanese pilchard]]{{#tag:ref|There are four distinct [[Fish stocks|stocks]] in the genus ''Sardinops'', widely separated by geography. The FAO treats these stocks as separate species, while FishBase treats them as one species, ''Sardinops sagax''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Grant |first1=W. S. |display-authors = etal |year=1998 |title=Why restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of mitochondrial DNA failed to resolve sardine (''Sardinops'') biogeography: insights from mitochondrial DNA cytochrome ''b'' sequences |journal=Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences |volume=55 |issue=12 |pages=2539–47 |doi=10.1139/f98-127|bibcode=1998CJFAS..55.2539G }}</ref>|group=note|name=sardinops}}
| style="background: #efe; padding-left: 1.5em;" |''Sardinops melanostictus'' <small>(Schlegel, 1846)</small>
| style=background:#efe; colspan=2 |
| style=background:#efe; colspan=2 |
| style=background:#efe; colspan=2 |
| style="background:#efe; text-align:right;" |
| style="background:#efe; text-align:center;" |
| style="background:#efe; text-align:center;" |<ref>{{FishBase |genus=Sardinops |species=melanostictus |month=April |year=2012}}</ref>
| style="background:#efe; text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2893/en |title=Species Fact Sheet: ''Sardinops melanostictus'' |publisher=[[FAO]] |language=en |access-date = 10 August 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150924144828/http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2893/en |archive-date = 24 September 2015}}</ref>
| style="background:#efe; text-align:center;" |<ref>{{ITIS |id=551222 |taxon=Sardinops melanostictus |access-date=11 April 2012}}</ref>
| style="background:#efe; text-align:center;" |<div style="border: 3px solid black; background: white; width: 2em; border-radius:5em; margin: 0.25em auto;">[[Not Evaluated|NE]]</div>
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left; background: #efe; padding-left: 1.5em;" |[[Californian pilchard]]<ref group=note name=sardinops />
| style="background: #efe; padding-left: 1.5em;" |''Sardinops caeruleus'' <small>(Girard, 1854)</small>
| style=background:#efe; colspan=2 |
| style=background:#efe; colspan=2 |
| style=background:#efe; colspan=2 |
| style="background:#efe; text-align:right;" |
| style="background:#efe; text-align:center;" |
| style="background:#efe; text-align:center;" |<ref>{{FishBase |genus=Sardinops |species=caeruleus |month=April |year=2012 }}</ref>
| style="background:#efe; text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2894/en |title=Species Fact Sheet: ''Sardinops caeruleus'' |publisher=[[FAO]] |language=en |access-date = 10 August 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121214052505/http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2894/en |archive-date = 14 December 2012}}</ref>
| style="background:#efe; text-align:center;" |<ref>{{ITIS |id=161730 |taxon=Sardinops caeruleus |access-date=11 April 2012}}</ref>
| style="background:#efe; text-align:center;" |<div style="border: 3px solid black; background: white; width: 2em; border-radius:5em; margin: 0.25em auto;">[[Not Evaluated|NE]]</div>
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left; background: #efe; padding-left: 1.5em;" |[[southern African pilchard]]<ref group=note name=sardinops />
| style="background: #efe; padding-left: 1.5em;" |''Sardinops ocellatus'' <small>(Pappe, 1854)</small>
| style=background:#efe; colspan=2 |
| style=background:#efe; colspan=2 |
| style=background:#efe; colspan=2 |
| style="background:#efe; text-align:right;" |
| style="background:#efe; text-align:center;" |
| style="background:#efe; text-align:center;" |<ref>{{FishBase |genus=Sardinops |species=ocellatus |month=April |year=2012}}</ref>
| style="background:#efe; text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2895/en |title=Species Fact Sheet: ''Sardinops ocellatus'' |publisher=[[FAO]] |language=en |access-date = 10 August 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121213194340/http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2895/en |archive-date = 13 December 2012 |url-status = live}}</ref>
| style="background:#efe; text-align:center;" |<ref>{{ITIS |id=551224 |taxon=Sardinops ocellatus |access-date=11 April 2012}}</ref>
| style="background:#efe; text-align:center;" |<div style="border: 3px solid black; background: white; width: 2em; border-radius:5em; margin: 0.25em auto;">[[Not Evaluated|NE]]</div>
|-
| rowspan="8" |''[[Sardinella]]''
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |[[Bali Sardinella|Bali sardinella]]
| ''Sardinella lemuru'' <small>(Bleeker, 1853)</small>
| {{convert|23|cm|in|disp=table}}
| {{convert|20|cm|in|disp=table}}
| colspan=2 |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:center;" |
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{FishBase |genus=Sardinella |species=lemuru |month=April |year=2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2892/en |title=Species Fact Sheet: ''Sardinella lemuru'' |publisher=[[FAO]] |language=en |access-date = 10 August 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121213194410/http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2892/en |archive-date = 13 December 2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{ITIS |id=551452 |taxon=Sardinella lemuru |access-date=11 April 2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |[[File:NT IUCN 3 1.svg|link=Near Threatened|alt=Near Threatened]]<br /><ref name=IUCNlemuru>{{Cite iucn |vauthors=Santos M |title=Bali sardinella – ''Sardinella lemuru'' |volume=2018 |article-number=e.T75154879A75154994 |date=2018 |access-date = 11 December 2018}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |[[Brazilian Sardinella|Brazilian sardinella]]
| ''Sardinella brasiliensis'' <small>(Steindachner, 1879)</small>
| colspan=2 |
| colspan=2 |
| colspan=2 |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:center;" |3.10
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{FishBase |genus=Sardinella |species=brasiliensis |month=April |year=2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2090/en |title=Species Fact Sheet: ''Sardinella brasiliensis'' |publisher=[[FAO]] |language=en |access-date = 10 August 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121107223208/http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2090/en |archive-date = 7 November 2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{ITIS |id=161764 |taxon=Sardinella brasiliensis |access-date=11 April 2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |[[File:DD IUCN 3 1.svg|link=Data Deficient|alt=Data Deficient]]<br /><ref name=IUCNbrasiliensis>{{Cite iucn |vauthors=Di Dario F |title=Brazilian Sardinella – ''Sardinella brasiliensis'' |volume=2018 |article-number=e.T16466246A16510172 |date=2018 |access-date = 11 December 2018}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |[[Japanese Sardinella|Japanese sardinella]]
| ''Sardinella zunasi'' <small>(Bleeker, 1854)</small>
| colspan=2 |
| colspan=2 |
| colspan=2 |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:center;" |3.12
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{FishBase |genus=Sardinella |species=zunasi |month=April |year=2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2891/en |title=Species Fact Sheet: ''Sardinella zunasi'' |publisher=[[FAO]] |language=en |access-date = 10 August 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121213182401/http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2891/en |archive-date = 13 December 2012 |url-status = live}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{ITIS |id=551460 |taxon=Sardinella zunasi |access-date=11 April 2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |[[File:LC IUCN 3 1.svg|link=Least Concern|alt=Least Concern]]<br /><ref name=IUCNzunasi>{{Cite iucn |vauthors=Hata H, Munroe TA, Gaughan D, Mohd Arshaad W |title=''Sardinella zunasi'' |volume=2017 |article-number=e.T75155119A75155131 |date=2017 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T75155119A75155131.en}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |[[Indian Oil Sardine|Indian oil sardine]]
| ''Sardinella longiceps'' <small>(Valenciennes, 1847)</small>
| colspan=2 |
| colspan=2 |
| colspan=2 |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:center;" |2.41
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{FishBase |genus=Sardinella |species=longiceps |month=April |year=2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2086/en |title=Species Fact Sheet: ''Sardinella longiceps'' |publisher=[[FAO]] |language=en |access-date = 10 August 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120508062047/http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2086/en |archive-date = 8 May 2012 |url-status = live}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{ITIS |id=551453 |taxon=Sardinella longiceps |access-date=11 April 2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |[[File:LC IUCN 3 1.svg|link=Least Concern|alt=Least Concern]]<br /><ref name=IUCNgladius>{{Cite iucn |author1=Munroe TA |author2=Priede IG |title=''Sardinella longiceps'' |volume=2010 |article-number=e.T154989A55159768 |date=2010 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T154989A55159768.en |access-date =18 October 2022}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |[[Goldstripe Sardinella|Goldstripe sardinella]]
| ''Sardinella gibbosa'' <small>(Bleeker, 1849)</small>
| colspan=2 |
| colspan=2 |
| colspan=2 |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:center;" |2.85
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{FishBase |genus=Sardinella |species=gibbosa |month=April |year=2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2085/en |title=Species Fact Sheet: ''Sardinella gibbosa'' |publisher=[[FAO]] |language=en |access-date = 10 August 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121101234842/http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2085/en |archive-date = 1 November 2012 |url-status = live}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{ITIS |id=551449 |taxon=Sardinella gibbosa |access-date=11 April 2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |[[File:LC IUCN 3 1.svg|link=Least Concern|alt=Least Concern]]<br /><ref name=IUCNgibbosa>{{Cite iucn |vauthors=Santos M, Villarao MC, Tambihasan AM, Villanueva JA, Parido L, Lopez G, Deligero R, Alcantara M, Doyola MC, Gatlabayan LV, ((Buccat FGA)), Lanzuela N, Belga PB, Gapuz AV, Al-Khalaf K, Kaymaram F |title=Goldstripe Sardinella – ''Sardinella gibbosa'' |volume=2018 |article-number=e.T46075248A46664239 |date=2018 |access-date = 11 December 2018 }}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |[[Round sardinella]]
| ''Sardinella aurita'' <small>(Valenciennes, 1847)</small>
| colspan=2 |
| colspan=2 |
| colspan=2 |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:center;" |3.40
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{FishBase |genus=Sardinella |species=aurita |month=April |year=2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2088/en |title=Species Fact Sheet: ''Sardinella aurita'' |publisher=[[FAO]] |language=en |access-date = 10 August 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121107221908/http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2088/en |archive-date = 7 November 2012 |url-status = live}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{ITIS |id=161763 |taxon=Sardinella aurita |access-date=11 April 2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |[[File:LC IUCN 3 1.svg|link=Least Concern|alt=Least Concern]]<br /><ref name=IUCNaurita>{{Cite iucn |vauthors=Munroe T, Brown J, Aiken KA, Grijalba Bendeck L |title=Round Sardinella – ''Sardinella aurita'' |article-number=e.T198581A115340607 |year=2015 |errata=2017 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T198581A15542908.en }}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |[[Madeiran Sardinella|Madeiran sardinella]]
| ''Sardinella maderensis'' <small>(Lowe, 1839)</small>
| colspan=2 |
| colspan=2 |
| colspan=2 |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:center;" |3.20
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{FishBase |genus=Sardinella |species=maderensis |month=April |year=2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2089/en |title=Species Fact Sheet: ''Sardinella maderensis'' |publisher=[[FAO]] |language=en |access-date = 10 August 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121214052117/http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2089/en |archive-date = 14 December 2012 |url-status = live}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{ITIS |id=161767 |taxon=Sardinella maderensis |access-date=11 April 2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |[[File:VU IUCN 3 1.svg|link=Vulnerable species|alt=Vulnerable]]<br /><ref name=IUCNmaderensis>{{Cite iucn |vauthors=Tous P, Sidibé A, Mbye E, de Morais L, Camara K, Munroe T, Adeofe TA, Camara YH, Djiman R, Sagna A, Sylla M |title=Madeiran Sardinella – ''Sardinella madeirensis'' |volume=2015 |article-number=e.T198582A15543624 |date=2015 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T198582A15543624.en }}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |[[Marquesan sardinella]]
| ''Sardinella marquesensis'' <small>(Berry & Whitehead, 1968)</small>
| {{convert|16|cm|in|disp=table}}
| {{convert|10|cm|in|disp=table}}
| colspan=2 |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:center;" |2.90
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{FishBase |genus=Sardinella |species=marquesensis |month=August |year=2021}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |
| style="text-align:center;" |
| style="text-align:center;" |[[File:LC IUCN 3 1.svg|link=Least Concern|alt=Least Concern]]
|-
| ''[[Dussumieria]]''
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |[[Rainbow sardine]]
| ''Dussumieria acuta'' <small>(Valenciennes, 1847)</small>
| colspan=2 |
| {{convert|20|cm|in|disp=table}}
| colspan=2 |
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:center;" |3.40
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{FishBase |genus=Dussumieria |species=acuta |month=April |year=2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2900/en |title=Species Fact Sheet: ''Dussumieria acuta'' |publisher=[[FAO]] |language=en |access-date = 10 August 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121213202105/http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2900/en |archive-date = 13 December 2012 |url-status = live}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{ITIS |id=161822 |taxon=Dussumieria acuta |access-date=11 April 2012}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" |[[File:LC IUCN 3 1.svg|link=Least Concern|alt=Least Concern]]<br /><ref name=IUCNdussumieria>{{Cite iucn |vauthors=Santos M, Hata H, Villanueva JA, Parido L, Lanzuela N, Gapuz AV, Deligero R, Belga PB, Alcantara M, ((Buccat FGA)), Doyola MC, Gatlabayan LV, Lopez G, Tambihasan AM |title=Hasselt's Sprat – ''Dussumieria acuta'' |volume=2017 |article-number=e.T18124721A46663954 |date=2017 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T18124721A46663954.en}}</ref>
|}
{{Reflist|group=note}}

<gallery mode="packed" heights="80px">
File:Sardina pilchardus Gervais.jpg| The [[European pilchard]], ''Sardina pilchardus''
File:Sardinops sagax.jpg| In the 1980s the [[South American pilchard]], ''Sardinops sagax'', was the most intensively fished species of sardine. Some major [[Fish stocks|stocks]] declined precipitously in the 1990s (see chart below).
File:Sardinops sagax caerulea.png| The [[Pacific sardine]], ''Sardinops sagax caerulea''
</gallery>

==Feeding==
Sardines feed almost exclusively on [[zooplankton]] and congregate wherever this is abundant.

==Fisheries==
{{multiple image
 |align = right
 |direction = vertical
 |width     = 300
 |header    = Global capture of sardines in tonnes reported by the [[FAO]]
 |image1    = Time series for global capture of Sardinops sardines.png
 |caption1  = Sardines of the genus ''Sardinops'', 1950–2010<ref name=FAOdata />
 |image2    = Time series for global capture of non-Sardinops sardines.png
 |caption2  = Sardines not of the genus ''Sardinops'', 1950–2010<ref name=FAOdata />
}}
Typically, sardines are caught with [[encircling net]]s, particularly [[purse seine]]s. Many modifications of encircling nets are used, including [[Fish trap|traps]] or [[fishing weir]]s. The latter are stationary enclosures composed of stakes into which schools of sardines are diverted as they swim along the coast. The fish are caught mainly at night, when they approach the surface to feed on [[plankton]]. After harvesting, the fish are submerged in [[brine]] while they are transported to shore.

Sardines are commercially fished for a variety of uses: for bait; for immediate consumption; for drying, salting, or smoking; and for reduction into [[fish meal]] or oil. The chief use of sardines is for human consumption, but fish meal is used as animal feed, while sardine oil has many uses, including the manufacture of [[paint]], [[varnish]], and [[linoleum]].

==Food and nutrition==
{{main|Sardines as food}}
{{nutritional value
| name=Pacific sardines canned in tomato sauce, drained solids with bone
| water=66.9 g
| kJ=774
| protein=20.9 g
| fat=10.4 g
| carbs=0.54 g
| calcium_mg=240
| iron_mg=2.3
| magnesium_mg=34
| phosphorus_mg=366
| potassium_mg=341
| sodium_mg=414
| zinc_mg=1.4
| manganese_mg=0.206
| thiamin_mg=0.044
| riboflavin_mg=0.233
| niacin_mg=4.2
| pantothenic_mg=0.73
| vitB6_mg=0.123
| folate_ug=24
| vitB12_ug=9
| note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/175140/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]
}}

Sardines are commonly consumed by humans as a source of [[protein (nutrient)|protein]], [[omega-3 fatty acid]]s, and [[micronutrient]]s.<ref name="harvard">{{cite web |title=Why eat lower on the seafood chain? |url=https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-eat-lower-on-the-seafood-chain-202303222904 |publisher=Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard University Medical School |access-date=3 September 2024 |date=22 March 2023}}</ref> Sardines may be grilled, pickled, smoked, or preserved in cans.

Canned sardines are 67% water, 21% protein, 10% [[fat]], and contain negligible [[carbohydrate]]s (table). In a reference amount of {{cvt|100|g}}, canned sardines supply 185 [[calorie]]s of [[food energy]] and are a rich source (20% or more of the [[Daily Value]], DV) of [[vitamin B12]] (375% DV), [[phosphorus]] (29% DV), and [[Vitamin B3|niacin]] (26% DV) (table). Sardines are a moderate source (10–19% DV) of the [[B vitamins]], [[riboflavin]] and [[pantothenic acid]], and several [[dietary minerals]], including [[calcium]] and [[sodium]] (18% DV each) (table). A 100 g serving of canned sardines supplies about 7 g combined of [[monounsaturated fat|monounsaturated]] and [[polyunsaturated fat|polyunsaturated fatty acids]] (USDA source in table).

Because they are low in the food chain, sardines are low in contaminants, such as [[mercury (element)|mercury]], relative to [[mercury in fish|other fish]] commonly eaten by humans,<ref name=harvard/><ref>{{cite web |title=Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish |url=https://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/Seafood/FoodbornePathogensContaminants/Methylmercury/ucm115644.htm |publisher=U S Food and Drug Administration |date=5 July 2009 |access-date=1 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024125535/https://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/product-specificinformation/seafood/foodbornepathogenscontaminants/methylmercury/ucm115644.htm |archive-date=24 October 2011 }}</ref> and have a relatively low impact in production of [[greenhouse gas]]es.<ref name=harvard/>

==History==
[[File:Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) - St Mawes at the Pilchard Season - N00484 - National Gallery.jpg|thumb|''[[St Mawes at the Pilchard Season]]'' by [[J.M.W. Turner]], 1812]]
===History of sardine fishing in the UK===
Pilchard fishing and processing became a thriving industry in [[Cornwall]], [[England]] from around 1750 to around 1880, after which it went into decline. Catches varied from year to year, and in 1871, the catch was 47,000 [[hogsheads]], while in 1877, only 9,477 hogsheads. A hogshead contained 2,300 to 4,000 pilchards, and when filled with pressed pilchards, weighed 476&nbsp;lbs. The pilchards were mostly exported to [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] countries such as [[Italy]] and [[Spain]], where they are known as ''fermades''. The chief market for the oil was [[Bristol]], where it was used on machinery.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Buckland |first1=Frank |title=Our Fisheries |work=The Cornishman |issue=85 |date=26 February 1880 |page=6}}</ref>

Since 1997, sardines from Cornwall have been sold as 'Cornish sardines', and since March 2010, under EU law, Cornish sardines have [[Protected Geographical Status]].<ref name="DOOR-SDN">{{cite web |title=Directory of PGI/PDO/TSG – Cornish Sardines profile |url=http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/door/registeredName.html?denominationId=2122 |publisher=EC, Agriculture and Rural Development |access-date = 1 November 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180810205713/http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/door/registeredName.html?denominationId=2122 |archive-date = 10 August 2018 |url-status = live}}</ref> The industry has featured in numerous works of art, particularly by [[Stanhope Forbes]] and other [[Newlyn School]] artists.

The traditional "Toast to Pilchards" refers to the lucrative export of the fish to Catholic Europe:
:Here's health to the Pope, may he live to repent
:And add just six months to the term of his [[Lent]]
:And tell all his vassals from Rome to the [[Polish people|Poles]],
:There's nothing like pilchards for saving their souls!<ref>{{cite book |last=Rawe |first=Donald R |year=1992 |title=Traditional Cornish Stories and Rhymes |publisher=Lodenek Press |isbn=0-902899-08-2}}</ref>

===History of sardine fishing in the United States<!-- Link to here from: Monterey Bay Aquarium#Community and economic influence -->===
In the United States, the sardine [[canning]] industry peaked in the 1950s. Since then, the industry has been on the decline. The canneries in [[Monterey Bay]], in what was known as [[Cannery Row]] in [[Monterey County, California]] (where [[John Steinbeck]]'s [[Cannery Row (novel)|novel of the same name]] was set), failed in the mid-1950s. The last large sardine cannery in the United States, the Stinson Seafood plant in [[Prospect Harbor]], [[Maine]], closed its doors on 15 April 2010 after 135 years in operation.<ref>{{cite news |author=Canfield, Clarke |title=Last sardine plant in U.S. shuts its doors |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/36503650 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923231144/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/36503650 |archive-date=23 September 2020 |agency=Associated Press |date=15 April 2010 |access-date = 15 April 2010}}</ref>

In April 2015 the [[Pacific Fishery Management Council]] voted to direct [[NOAA]] Fisheries Service to halt the current commercial season in [[Oregon]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]] and [[California]], because of a dramatic collapse in Pacific sardine stocks. The ban affected about 100 fishing boats with sardine permits, although far fewer were actively fishing at the time. The season normally would end 30 June.<ref>{{cite web |title=Feds Cancel Commercial Sardine Fishing After Stocks Crash |date=16 April 2015 |website=North Country Public Radio, St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York |url=https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/400177895/feds-cancel-commercial-sardine-fishing-after-stocks-crash |access-date=28 March 2018}}</ref> The ban was expected to last for more than a year, and was still in place {{as of|2025|08|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pacific Sardine |website=NOAA Fisheries |date=9 October 2024 |url=https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/pacific-sardine |access-date=10 August 2025}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
The manner in which sardines can be packed in a can has led to the popular English language saying "packed like sardines", which is used metaphorically to describe situations where people or objects are crowded closely together.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/packed_like_sardines |title=packed like sardines {{!}} Definition of packed like sardines in English by Oxford Dictionaries |website = Oxford Dictionaries {{!}} English |access-date = 10 August 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171011021901/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/packed_like_sardines |archive-date = 11 October 2017 }}</ref>

"Sardines" is also the name of a [[Sardines (game)|children's game]], where one person hides and each successive person who finds the hidden one packs into the same space until only one is left out, who becomes the next one to hide.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://itpedia.nyu.edu/wiki/Stinky_Sardine_Club |title=Stinky Sardine Club – ITPedia |publisher=Itpedia.nyu.edu |date=9 April 2010 |access-date=21 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129120921/http://itpedia.nyu.edu/wiki/Stinky_Sardine_Club |archive-date=29 November 2014 }}</ref>

Among the residents of the [[Mediterranean]] city of [[Marseille]], the local tendency to exaggerate is linked to a [[C'est la sardine qui a bouché le port de Marseille|folk tale about a sardine]] that supposedly blocked the city's port in the 18th century. It was actually blocked by a ship called the ''[[HMS Sartine (1778)|Sartine]]''.

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px" style="float:left;">
File:Sardines.ogv|Sardines use [[body-caudal fin locomotion]] to swim, and [[streamlines, streaklines, and pathlines|streamline]] their bodies by holding their other [[Fish fin|fins]] flat against the body
File:Le senneur "Oued Souss" (1).JPG|French sardine [[seiner]]
File:Sardine canner, Maine State Museum at Augusta IMG 1987.JPG|Exhibit of a woman canning sardines at the [[Maine State Museum]] in [[Augusta, Maine|Augusta]]
</gallery>
{{clear}}

==See also==
{{portal|Fish|Marine life}}
*''[[Chasse-marée]]''
*[[Sardine run]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite journal |last1=Parrish |first1=R. H. |display-authors = etal |year=1989 |title=The monotypic sardines, ''Sardina'' and ''Sardinops'': Their taxonomy, distribution, stock structure, and zoogeography |url=http://swfsc.noaa.gov/publications/CR/1989/8950.PDF |journal=Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. |volume=46 |issue=11 |pages=2019–36 |doi=10.1139/f89-251|bibcode=1989CJFAS..46.2019P }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Sardines}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Cookbook}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100706013151/http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?fid=62 Sardines] – [[Seafood Watch]], [[Monterey Bay Aquarium]]

{{sardines|state=expanded}}
{{forage fish}}
{{commercial fish topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Clupeidae]]
[[Category:Commercial fish]]
[[Category:Oily fish]]
[[Category:Fish of Hawaii]]
[[Category:Economy of Cornwall]]
[[Category:Fish common names]]
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