Sardines

They are pelagic gregarious fish. They live in waters from 12 to 24 °C. They are greenish blue on their side and silver on their belly. They are summer fish as they feed on plankton, an organism that thrives in summer. This is the reason why summer sardines are fatter, being from mid July to mid August the best time to catch them and the winter ones are lean and less tasty. There are sardines in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, although the first ones have less quality. Sardines are very important for the fishing industry as well as for the canned food industry. They are sold fresh and whole, sliced, smoked, salted and canned with oil or tomato. They are oily saltwater fish.