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Fish4Life provides everything you need to enjoy seafood responsibly. Explore information and practical tips for safe and sustainable seafood consumption, and help protect marine life by reporting undersized or illegally traded seafood.

European pilchard
Sardina pilchardus
Σαρδέλα

Sustainability Status

Currently considered sustainable

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Help us protect our seas by reporting illegal or undersized fish that you see in markets, restaurants or fishing boats
Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Legal

Minimum Size

11 cm

Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

14 cm

Avoid Consumption Period

October – March

Advice for Consumption

Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable.

Greek legislation sets an unsustainably small legal minimum size and no closed season, leaving juvenile and spawning fish completely unprotected.

Choose responsibly by respecting sustainable size limits and avoiding consumption during the breeding season.

Archipelagos Tips

Choosing larger, mature fish helps reduce fishing pressure on juvenile individuals.

Common names

FR

Sardine

it

Sardina

es

Sardina

tr

Sardalya

pt

Sardinha

nl

Europese sardien

de

Pilchard

toxicity

This species is safe to consume.

iucn info

Least concern (LC)

Description

Body sub-cylindrical, belly rather rounded (but more compressed in juveniles). Pointed snout, terminal mouth, and smooth, easily detached scales. A key identification feature is the operculum (gill cover), which has visible striations. The dorsal fin is positioned slightly forward of the middle of the body, and the pelvic fins are located behind the dorsal fin.

It looks like Sardinops caeruleus (Pacific sardine/California pilchard), Sardinops ocellatus (Southern African pilchard/South African sardine), and Sardinops melanostictus (Japanese pilchard), as they are often grouped with Sardina pilchardus under the general term “sardine” and can be difficult to distinguish without genetic analysis.

Did you know?

Primarily coastal fish that occasionally ventures out to sea up to 100 kilometers!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Carnivorous.
Feeds on planktonic crustaceans.

habitat

Coastal pelagic species.
Travels in groups throughout the ocean.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 27.5 cm
Max weight: 70 g
Depth range: 10-100 m

breeding & Growth

Gonochoric (seperate sexes) and batch spawners. Spawns September through April.
Growth rate: Moderate (k = 0.371yr⁻¹).

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 3-4 years
Max reported age: 15 years
Distribution: Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, North Sea, Senegal and Iceland.

appearance changes

Undergoes striking transformations throughout its life, shifting from a transparent, worm-like larva into a slender juvenile, and finally developing into the stout, silvery, blue-green fish.

Reproductive Cycle

Egg count: 50,000-60,000 eggs
Reproductive frequency: Numerous times throughout the season.
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If you’d like to learn more about the work of the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, please visit our website: https://archipelago.gr/

Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Illegal species – Fishing, selling and consumption of this species is illegal

Fishstocks – Declining due to overexploitation

Think before you eat – This species faces increasing pressures and should only be consumed responsibly

Bad choice – Consumption of this species is unsustainable

Health concerns –
Can accumulate dangerously high levels of toxic substances harmful to health

Alien / Invasive – This species is not from this region and can have a negative impact on the ecosystem and threaten local biodiversity, so it is sustainable to eat

Aquafarms – You will commonly find this species coming from aquafarms