Sardinella aurita Valenciennes, 1847

Edwards, A. J., Gill, A. C. & Abohweyere, P. O., 2003, A revision of F. R. Irvine’s Ghanaian marine fishes in the collections of The Natural History Museum, London, Journal of Natural History 37 (18), pp. 2213-2267 : 2229

Sardinella aurita Valenciennes, 1847

Reference material. Accra, January 1930 (Irvine 23); Teshi, June 1930 (Irvine 104)— BMNH 1930.8 .26.25 (one: 188 mm SL); Prampram, September 1939 (Irvine 406)— BMNH 1939.7 .12.4 (one: 106.5 mm SL), BMNH 2001.5 .2.13 (one: 77.5 mm SL); off shore at Tema, Ghana, coll. D. Pennack — BMNH 1973.4.26.11–13 (three: 115.5–149.6 mm SL) .

Distribution. In the eastern Atlantic known from southern Portugal to Angola. Also found in the Mediterranean, western Atlantic and Japan (Whitehead, 1985).

On average about 360 000 tonnes of this species are caught in the region each year ( FAO, 2000), making it the most important fishery species in terms of catch. Catches have risen substantially in recent years and current catch rates may not be sustainable.