Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable. Eat responsibly. Enjoy your meal and always respect sustainable sizes and breeding seasons! Due to ineffective legislation that does not take into account the species biology, the legal size of this fish is substantially lower than the sustainable size. This makes it particularly important to respect the sustainable size shown.

Sardinella aurita has not been found to accumulate heavy metals

Body elongate, usually subcylindrical, but sometimes a little compressed; belly rather rounded, but with a distinct keel of scutes; lower gillrakers fine and numerous, more than 80; anterior gillrakers on lower limbs of second and third gill arches lying more or less flat. Flanks silvery, with a faint golden midlateral line, preceded by a faint golden spot behind gill opening; a distinct black spot at hind border of gill cover. Looks like: Sardinella maderensis (Madeiran sardinella): both are silvery, schooling, coastal pelagic fish. S. maderensis has gray caudal fins (tail fins) with black tips, unlike S. aurita’s typically uniform coloration.

The round sardinella can have up to 160 gill rakers!