Indian Oil Sardine

The Indian oil sardine, Sardinella longiceps (Fig. 1) is a very important pelagic fish species which contributes to about 15% of the total marine fish production in India. Local names of oil sardine are, Mathi, Nalla mathi, Nei chala (Malayalam); Bhutai (Kannada); Tarli (Marathi and Hindi); Nonalai, Peichalai (Tamil); Noona- Kavallu (Telugu); Nna Kavala, Disco kabala (Oriya). Besides being a favoured, nutritionally rich and affordable table fish occurring abundantly almost throughout the year, it also serves as a source for valuable by-products like sardine oil used in several industries and fish-meal for cattle and poultry feed production. Its fishery is characterised by remarkably wide fluctuations on a seasonal, annual and decadal scale. The successful years of oil sardine fishery bring as much prosperity to the fishing community as its failure a major economic setback