Fish
Sprat
Sprattus sprattus
Out of season
—
Fishing zones
Wild
Origin
15 cm
Minimum size
Description
It is a small pelagic fish resembling a herring. The body is spindle-shaped and laterally compressed. The presence of scutes (sharp, hard scales) along the ventral line forms a sharp keel that is very rough to the touch (much more so than in the herring). The dorsal fin begins slightly behind the base of the pelvic fins. Unlike the sardine, it lacks radiating striations on the operculum (the plate covering the gills). The back is a brilliant blue-green, while the sides and belly are silvery. It generally measures between 8 and 12 cm, with a recorded maximum of 16 cm. It feeds exclusively on plankton, mainly copepods and other small crustaceans.
Habitat
A marine and pelagic-neritic species (living in open water above the continental shelf). It is a gregarious fish that forms huge schools. It is generally found at depths of 10 to 150 meters.
Distribution
Sprats are found throughout a vast area of the northeastern Atlantic, from the coasts of Norway (as far as the Lofoten Islands) and the North Sea to Morocco. They are very abundant in the Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea (especially in the north: the Gulf of Lion and the Adriatic), and the Black Sea (including the Sea of Azov).