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Animal profile

European Pilchard

Sardina pilchardus

ActinopterygiiCoastal pelagic waters of the northeast Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea, often over the continental shelfLeast Concern

Field profile

The European pilchard is the fish sold as sardine in most of Europe. It is a small schooling filter feeder, silvery with faint dark spots along the upper flank. Its abundance swings widely with ocean conditions, and it is one of the most heavily landed fishes in European waters.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2025-04-05

European Pilchard

Sardine is a market name, not a species

The word sardine covers many small clupeid fishes rather than one animal. In Europe it usually means Sardina pilchardus, the same fish sold as pilchard when it is large, but tins elsewhere may hold sprat, round herring or a Sardinops species.

Read with evidence →

European Pilchard | Daily Animal Facts