Pelagic Fish
Small Pelagic: Pilchard
Small Pelagics are the experts of the group. This is where the Rial Group truly excel in the effort of fishing and landing of Sardine.
Our vessel Kalahari and expert skipper and crew are well equipped for fish finding, pursuing and offloading of the species.
Our species are sold for both human consumption in cans that are processed by Afro Fishing Pty Ltd as well as Bait products.
Sardine also known as pilchard are small, fish rich in oil belong to the Clupeiformes species. Sardine can be found in the upper layers of the ocean at approximate depths of 0 – 200 metres.
The food source of Sardines are phytoplankton and zooplankton found in and around upwelling regions due to rather large nutrient production that assists in growth.
The Sardine species have a short lifespan of up to six or eight years, however reaching maturity within in 18 to 24 month and can grow in lengths up to 25 cm, measured from the head to just before the tail fin. Sardines prefer temperatures of 13-22°C.
The term sardine was first used in English during the early 15th century and may come from the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, where sardines were once abundant.
