''Sardinops'' is a
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
sardine
"Sardine" and "pilchard" are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring family Clupeidae. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century, a folk etymology says it comes from the Ital ...
s of the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Clupeidae
Clupeidae is a family of ray-finned fishes, comprising, for instance, the herrings, shads, sardines, hilsa, and menhadens. The clupeoids include many of the most important food fishes in the world, and are also commonly caught for production of ...
. The only member of the genus is ''Sardinops sagax''. It is found in the
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth.
In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...
and East Pacific oceans. Its length is up to . It has numerous common or vernacular names, some of which more appropriately refer to subspecies, including blue pilchard, Australian pilchard (''S. s. neopilchardus''), blue-bait, Californian pilchard (''S. s. caeruleus''),
Peruvian Pacific sardine (''S. s. sagax''), South American pilchard, Chilean sardine (''S. s. sagax''), Japanese pilchard (''S. s. melanostictus''), Pacific sardine, and Southern African pilchard (''S. s. ocellatus'').
South Australian sardine fishery
![South Australian sardine fishery - total catch graph 1990-2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/South_Australian_sardine_fishery_-_total_catch_graph_1990-2012.PNG)
The South Australian sardine fishery targets ''Sardinops sagax'' and is the highest yielding single species fishery in Australia by volume. The fishery employs the technique of
purse seining
Seine fishing (or seine-haul fishing; ) is a method of fishing that employs a surrounding net, called a seine, that hangs vertically in the water with its bottom edge held down by weights and its top edge buoyed by floats. Seine nets can be de ...
. Schools of sardines are encircled by a net up to 1 kilometre in length which is then drawn closed at the bottom. The catch is then pumped on board the fishing vessel where it is stored in refrigerated holds at below freezing temperatures. 94% of the catch is used as feed in
Southern bluefin tuna
The southern bluefin tuna (''Thunnus maccoyii'') is a tuna of the family (biology), family Scombridae found in open southern Hemisphere waters of all the world's oceans mainly between 30th parallel south, 30°S and 50th parallel south, 50°S, to ...
ranching operations off
Port Lincoln
Port Lincoln is a town on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia. It is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, which opens eastward into Spencer Gulf. It is the largest city in the West Coast region, and is located a ...
, South Australia. The remaining 6% of the catch serves human consumption, recreational
fishing bait
Fishing bait is any substance used to attract and catch fish, e.g. on a fishing hook. Bait items are both selected from and placed within the environment to achieve enhanced prey capture success. Traditionally, fishing baits are natural fish food ...
and premium
pet food
Pet food is animal feed intended for consumption by pets. Typically sold in pet stores and supermarkets, it is usually specific to the type of animal, such as dog food or cat food. Most meat used for animals is a byproduct of the human food indu ...
markets.
The industry commenced in South Australia in 1991 with an annual catch quota of . In 2003, the fishery's annual quota was set at .
By 2014, the annual quota had increased to .
The fishery's total landed catch peaked at in the financial year 2004-05 stabilising at around per year thereafter.
A key area of concern for industry compliance in 2004 was quota evasion. Quota evasion had previously occurred in several forms: unloading catch directly to tuna farms, failing to report prior to unloading catch and dumping excess catch at sea.
Gallery
School of sardines at the Monterey Bay Aquarium (12056).jpg, alt=Visitors watch a school of thousands of Pacific sardines form a tornado in an exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium, A school of ''S. sagax'' in the Open Sea exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey Bay Aquarium is a nonprofit public aquarium in Monterey, California. Known for its regional focus on the marine habitats of Monterey Bay, it was the first to exhibit a living kelp forest when it opened in October 1984. Its biologists ...
Sardines.ogv, Pacific sardines in the Sunshine Aquarium
Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when th ...
Catch of Pacific sardines.jpg, Catch of Pacific sardines
Sardine photo4 exp.jpg, Pacific sardines are blue-green on the back and have white flanks with 1 to 3 lengthwise rows of dark spots.
See also
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Sardine run
The KwaZulu-Natal sardine run of southern Africa occurs from May through July when billions of sardines – or more specifically the Southern African pilchard ''Sardinops sagax'' – spawn in the cool waters of the Agulhas Bank and move northwar ...
*
Southern bluefin tuna
The southern bluefin tuna (''Thunnus maccoyii'') is a tuna of the family (biology), family Scombridae found in open southern Hemisphere waters of all the world's oceans mainly between 30th parallel south, 30°S and 50th parallel south, 50°S, to ...
References
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External links
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Australian Sardine @ Fishes of Australia
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Clupeinae
Western American coastal fauna
Marine fauna of Southern Africa
Fish of Madagascar
Fish of Australia
Fish of East Asia
Marine fish of Australia
Fish of Oceania
Monotypic fish genera
Commercial fish
Taxa named by Leonard Jenyns
Fish described in 1842
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