Sardine and pilchard are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring suborder Clupeoidei. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century, possibly referring to Sardinia, around which sardines were once supposedly abundant. The terms "sardine" and "pilchard" are not precise, and what is meant depends on the region. The United Kingdom's Sea Fish Industry Authority, for example, classifies sardines as young pilchards. One criterion suggests fish shorter in length than 15 cm (6 in) are sardines, and larger fish are pilchards. The FAO/WHO Codex standard for canned sardines cites 21 species that may be classed as sardines. FishBase, a database of information about fish, calls at least six species pilchards, over a dozen just sardines, and many more with the two basic names qualified by various adjectives.
Etymology The word sardine first appeared in English in the 15th century, a loanword from French sardine, derived from Latin sardina, from Ancient Greek σαρδίνη (sardínē) or σαρδῖνος (sardĩnos), possibly from the Greek Σαρδώ (Sardō) for Sardinia. Athenaios quotes a fragmentary passage from Aristotle mentioning the fish σαρδῖνος (sardĩnos), referring to the sardine or pilchard. However, Sardinia is over 1000 km from Athens, so it seems "hardly probable that the Greeks would have obtained fish from so far as Sardinia at a time relatively so early as that of Aristotle", although the Myceneans traded with the Sardinians during the latter Bronze Age. The flesh of some sardines or pilchards is a reddish-brown colour similar to some varieties of red sardonyx or sardine stone; this word derives from σαρδῖον (sardĩon) with a root meaning 'red' and possibly cognate with Sardis, the capital of ancient Lydia (now western Turkey) where it was obtained. However, the name may refer to the reddish-pink colour of the gemstone sard (or carnelian) known to the ancients.
Genera
Sardines occur in several genera.
Genus Dussumieria Rainbow sardine (Dussumieria acuta) Slender rainbow sardine (Dussumieria elopsoides) Genus Escualosa Slender white sardine (Escualosa elongata) White sardine (Escualosa thoracata) Genus Sardina European pilchard (true sardine) (Sardina pilchardus) Genus Sardinella 25 species
Genus Sardinops Japanese pilchard (Sardinops melanosticta) Southern African pilchard (Sardinops ocellatus) South American pilchard (Sardinops sagax) Although they are not true sardines, sprats are sometimes marketed as sardines. For example, the European sprat, Sprattus sprattus, is sometimes marketed as the 'brisling sardine'.
Species
Feeding Sardines feed almost exclusively on zooplankton and congregate wherever this is abundant.
Fisheries
Typically, sardines are caught with encircling nets, particularly purse seines. Many modifications of encircling nets are used, including traps or fishing weirs. The latter are stationary enclosures composed of stakes into which schools of sardines are diverted as they swim along the coast. The fish are caught mainly at night, when they approach the surface to feed on plankton. After harvesting, the fish are submerged in brine while they are transported to shore.
Usage Sardines are commercially fished for a variety of uses: for bait; for immediate consumption; for drying, salting, or smoking; and for reduction into fish meal or oil. The chief use of sardines is for human consumption, but fish meal is used as animal feed, while sardine oil has many uses, including the manufacture of paint, varnish, and linoleum.
Food and nutrition
Sardines are commonly consumed by humans as a source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and micronutrients. Sardines may be grilled, pickled, smoked, or preserved in cans. Canned sardines are 67% water, 21% protein, 10% fat, and contain negligible carbohydrates (table). In a reference amount of 100 g (3.5 oz), canned sardines supply 185 calories of food energy and are a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of vitamin B12 (375% DV), phosphorus (29% DV), and niacin (26% DV) (table). Sardines are a moderate source (10–19% DV) of the B vitamins, riboflavin and pantothenic acid, and several dietary minerals, including calcium and sodium (18% DV each) (table). A 100 g serving of canned sardines supplies about 7 g combined of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (USDA source in table). Because they are low in the food chain, sardines are low in contaminants, such as mercury, relative to other fish commonly eaten by humans, and have a relatively low impact in production of greenhouse gases.
Non-food usage Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany used hydrogenated sardine oil chemically converted into nitroglycerin to produce explosive weapons. As of 2020, in Japan around 70% of sardines were used for nonedible purposes, such as oil, fertilizer, and fish feed.
History
History of sardine fishing in the UK Pilchard fishing and processing became a thriving industry in Cornwall, England from around 1750 to around 1880, after which it went into decline. Catches varied from year to year, and in 1871, the catch was 47,000 hogsheads, while in 1877, only 9,477 hogsheads. A hogshead contained 2,300 to 4,000 pilchards, and when filled with pressed pilchards, weighed 476 lbs. The pilchards were mostly exported to Roman Catholic countries such as Italy and Spain, where they are known as fermades. The chief market for the oil was Bristol, where it was used on machinery. Since 1997, sardines from Cornwall have been sold as 'Cornish sardines', and since March 2010, under EU law, Cornish sardines have Protected Geographical Status. The industry has featured in numerous works of art, particularly by Stanhope Forbes and other Newlyn School artists. The traditional "Toast to Pilchards" refers to the lucrative export of the fish to Catholic Europe:
Here's health to the Pope, may he live to repent And add just six months to the term of his Lent And tell all his vassals from Rome to the Poles, There's nothing like pilchards for saving their souls!
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