Author: (Walbaum, 1792)
FBname: European pilchard
Comments: Littoral species (Ref. 6808).   Form schools, usually at depths of 25 to 55 or even 100 m by day, rising to 10 to 35 m at night.  Feed mainly on planktonic crustaceans, also on larger organisms.  Spawn in batches (Ref. 51846), in the open sea or near the coast, producing 50,000-60,000 eggs with a mean diameter of 1.5 mm (Ref. 35388).  Marketed fresh, frozen or canned.  Also utilized dried or salted and smoked; can be pan-fried, broiled and microwaved (Ref. 9988).