Sardina pilchardus is an important commercial species. It inhabits the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean, from Iceland and the coast of Norway to the coast of North Africa. It is common in the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Marmara Sea and the Adriatic Sea. Keeps in schools in coastal waters, usually at a depth of 10 to 100 m. Its body is dense, rounded in cross-section, covered with fine scales of unequal size that fall off. The main body colour is silvery; the back is greenish-blue; the flanks and belly are light-coloured. The sides behind the gill cover have several dark spots in a row. Dorsal and caudal fins are gray-blue. The gill cover has a golden hue and teeth are absent. The maximum body length is about 30 cm and the average is 15-20 cm.