The South African Sardine, often called the pilchard or sardine, are small fish found in the upper layers (0 – 200m depth) of the ocean.
They are short–lived, fast growing and have high levels of natural mortality (large scale death). Sardines appear in temperatures of 13-22°C around the South African coast, can live up to six or eight years, reaching close to 25 cm in length (which is measured from the tip of the head to just before the tail).
Sardines are the main target of the country’s small pelagic fishery which has been in operation since the 1940s. The term sardine was first used in English during the early 15th century and may come from the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, where sardines were once abundant.
Check out the frenzy at Amanzimtoti Beach: Sardine run 2017 in Toti
The body of a sardine is long and cylindrical with a series of 1-3 dark spots along the side. On the lower part of the gill cover there is a clear cut bony groove radiating downwards. The belly is rounded with specialised scales called scutes, and the back is a blue green colour. Sardines have one fin on the back called a dorsal fin, and a fin located underneath close to the anal pore (anal fin) usually with 12 to 29 rays.
Sardines are schooling fish found swimming together in large groups. They don’t have a certain mode of communication except that vibration in the water column can alert the other fish about what is happening during their schooling activity.
Distribution
Southern African distribution of sardines extends from Southern Angola, off the west coast of South Africa, to North of Durban off the east coast of South Africa. This fish is only found off the east coast during the annual ‘sardine run’, which is a migration where sardines leave the Agulhas Bank and move to the east coast in late May/early June.
Food
Sardines are planktivores that feed on both phytoplankton and zooplankton. They filter-feed by swimming slowly with their mouths wide open and operculae flared and use their finely-meshed gill rakers to strain their food from the water.
Sardines are commercially harvested around the globe and together with other small pelagic fish such as anchovy and round herring. They are the main prey of a variety of predators including other fish such as yellowtail, hakes, tuna and sharks and marine mammals such as seals, dolphins and whales and seabirds.Smart strategies
Sardines use diurnal migration as protection from predators. Sardines scatter as they migrate to the surface and concentrate to form shoals when they descend to the ocean depth. Also, sardines have a light colored abdomen and dark colored back which acts as camouflage from predators.
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