Sardines, or pilchards, are a group of several types of small, oily fish related to Herrings. Sardines were named after the Mediterranean island of Sardina,

where they once lived and had a very large population there. Sardines are rich in minerals, and are often sold canned but fresh Sardines are often grilled, or smoked. Sardines are rich in omega-3

acids, which has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, also reducing the risk of

Alzheimer's disease. Not only are Sardines rich in omega-3 but they are a good source of vitamin D,

calcium, B 12, and protein.

Sardines are commercially fished for a variety of uses. Some include, bait, drying, consuming

fresh, salting, smoking, and making into fish oil or meal. The main use of Sardines is human

consumption. But fish meal is used for animal feed, while Sardine oil has many uses, including the manufacture of paint, varnish and linoleum. Many people like to eat there Sardines in a can,

commonly with mustard sauce, or smoked. While fisherman stock up on those for their

fishing trips, that’s not all they use them for. Sardines are the most common form of bait on commercial fishing boats. They are small, oily

and other sea creatures love them.

The most important gear for Sardine fishing is an encircling net. Many other

modifications of encircling nets are used, including traps or weirs, the latter being

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 rise to

the surface to feed on plankton. After harvesting, the fish are submerged in brine

while they are transported to shore.

The Pacific Sardine is a pelagic fish found in the eastern Pacific from southeast Alaska to Baja California and the Gulf of California and also along Peru and Chile. They form large schools with up to 10 million fish in them. Sardines also live in kelp forests. They are

eaten by almost all the other animals that live in there. If they are not eaten when they are alive, the bottom feeders will eat them when they are dead. They stay in the same habitat

throughout all there life stages. They love kelp forests because they protect them.

Pacific Sardine is only found seasonally in the north part of its range.

Sardines are filter feeders, preying on plankton, copepods, and other plankton, All sized of Sardine are food for a large variety

of marine birds, fishes and mammals. Sardines may become more important as

prey for many species as the Sardine resource continues to increase. Generally sardines only eat plankton but they also feed off little scraps in the sea water in there kelp forest home and sea floor.

Some Sardines mature at 7 inches but some are fully mature at 9.5 inches. They can

reach 16 inches, but are usually less than 12 inches. There size varies in if they are from the North or South. Females grow

faster than males. Some individuals mature in their first year, most in their second.

Maximum age is 13-25 years, most are less than 8 years. Of course a large population

of Sardines don’t even live that long because fisherman catch them for food.

1916 – West Coast fishery for Pacific sardine begins in response to a national demand for new food sources during World War I

1920s – Fishery expands rapidly1936 – Fishery peaked at over 700,000 metric tons

1930s-1940s – Pacific sardine supports the largest fishery in the western hemisphere, with approximately 200 vessels

participating; sardines account for almost 25% of the all fish landed in the U.S.

1940s – Fishery declines due to overfishing and environmental conditions

1950s – Fishery collapses following dramatic declines in stock biomass and remains at low levels for nearly 40 years

1967 – California legislature places limits on sardine harvest1970s – Fishery reaches extremely low levels1974 – Directed fishing for sardine is halted

1974-1981 – Landings are less than 50 tons per year1986 – California lifts its 18-year moratorium on sardine harvest in response to increases in spawning biomass; allows directed fishery

with an annual limit of 1,000 tonsLate 1980s – Sardine stock begins to recover; a directed purse-

seine fishery is reestablished

1991 – Evidence of a continued increase in sardine population prompts state managers to raise yearly limit to

8,150 tonsMid-1990s – Stock rapidly recovers and expands range

northward through British Columbia, Canada1999 – Landings increase to 62,000 tons

1999 – Management authority for the U.S. Pacific sardine fishery is transferred to the Pacific Fishery Management Council; sardine included in the Coastal Pelagic Species

FMP; a maximum sustainable yield control rule is established to prevent Pacific sardine from being over

fished and maintain relatively high and consistent catch levels over the long-term; approximately 70,000 metric

tons are landed coast wide2001 – Landings in the coast wide fishery total 74,957

metric tons, worth just over $9 million2002 – Landings exceed 100,000 metric tons

2006 – Amendment 11 establishes coast wide harvest allocation

SPAWNING SEASON: The southern stock spawns year round, peaking April through August San Francisco, Mexico, and

January through April in the Gulf of California. Off Oregon and Washington sardines spawn from May to July.

SPAWNING GROUNDS: Pacific Sardine spawn in the upper 160 ft of the ocean. The location and timing of spawning is

extremely influenced by the temperature.

MIGRATION: Pacific sardine are highly mobile and move seasonally along the coast. Older adults may move from

spawning grounds in southern California and northern Baja California to feeding/spawning grounds off the Pacific

Northwest and Canada. Younger adults appear to migrate to feeding grounds primarily in central and northern California.