Measurements of the branchial sieve of sardine (Sardinops sagax ocellatus) from the west and south coasts of southern Africa

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (p. 40-46).Branchial sieves of southern African sardine (Sardinops sagax ocellatus) were collected from three geographical regions along the southern African coast: Namibia, the south coast and the west coast of South Africa. Sardine from Namibia represented the northern Benguela upwelling ecosystem while sardine from the west and south coasts of South Africa represented the southern Benguela upwelling ecosystem. Morphometric measurements (gill arch length and gill raker spacing) and counts (number of gill rakers) of branchial sieves on the left side of the first gill arch were taken to determine whether the sardine from these regions have different branchial sieve structures