School of Sardines – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Sardine schools can commonly be found in the waters of the Pacific Ocean or anywhere near Costa Rica. They are colloquially called ‘pilchards’ and belong to the herring family called “Clupeidae”. Sardines are normally very small and oily fish which travel in schools. Thousands of sardines travel and feed together in one big group which is a beautiful sight to observe. The fish get their name from the island called Sardinia which is where they were first discovered in huge abundance. The names ‘sardine’ and ‘pilchard’ in meaning do not literally translate to the fish itself. The meaning of these names given to the fish depends on the region they inhabit at present. One Sea Fish Industry in the United Kingdom calls sardines ‘little pilchards’. Other industries have classified that fish that are shorter than 6 inches in length are called sardines. Yet another industry states that any fish longer than 6 inches is called a pilchard. Most authorities around the world concur that there may be at least 21 species of sardine fish in the oceans and seas of the world.
Sardines are commonly consumed by humans all over the world. They are prepared in solidarity, as an accompaniment to different dishes and even as pizza toppings! Surprisingly, a lot of people prefer having sardines on top of their pizzas.
There are four main groups that classify different sardines. They branch off into more classified groups from the main groups. The four main groups are named Sardina, Sardinops, Sardinella and Dussumieria. The length of these sardines or pilchards can be anywhere from 20 to 40 cm and their bodies are small but very quick. These sardine schools can move very fast if they put their minds to it. They can discourage predators by swimming in these schools. The sardine schools easily distract dangerous predators in the Pacific Ocean by not letting them focus on a single fish. Sardines are clever fish with a built in survival instinct which may also be because they are small in size so they have to find other ways of defending themselves. Sardines have lithe and oily bodies, covered with iridescent silver scales. The most common sardine found in the Pacific Ocean and areas near Costa Rica is called the South American Pilchard. The scientific name given to this fish is “Sardinops sagax”. Marine biologists and scientists say that this is the sole member of the genus Sardinops. These are almost exclusively found only in the Pacific Ocean and waters near Costa Rica along with neighboring islands. These sardines or pilchards can grow to a length of about 40 cm. Depending on the area they’re in, they are given a lot of different names by the local people living by the ocean. Some of these names include blue pilchard, Australian pilchard, blue-bait, Californian pilchard, Chilean sardine, Japanese pilchard, Pacific sardine, and Southern African Pilcard. This sardine school usually has a bluish tinge to its upper body scales with the under belly of the fish remains a silvery white color.
