Sprat
| This article is one of a series on |
| Commercial fish |
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| Large pelagic |
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billfish, bonito mackerel, salmon shark, tuna |
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| Forage |
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anchovy, herring menhaden, sardine shad, sprat |
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| Demersal |
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cod, eel, flatfish pollock, ray |
| Mixed |
| carp, tilapia |
A sprat is the common name applied to a group of forage fish belonging to the genus Sprattus in the family Clupeidae. The term is also applied to a number of other small sprat-like forage fish. Like most forage fishes, sprats are highly active small oily fish. They travel in large schools with other fish and swim continuously throughout the day.
They are also recognized for their nutritional value as they contain high levels of polyunsaturated fats, considered beneficial to the human diet.They are eaten in many places around the world. Sprats are sometimes passed for other fish; products sold as having been prepared from anchovies (since the 19th century) and sardines are sometimes prepared from sprats, as the authentic ones used to be less accessible. They are known for their smooth flavour and are easy to mistake for baby sardines.
True sprats belong to the genus Sprattus in the family Clupeidae. There are five species.
* Type species
The term is also commonly applied to a number of other small sprat-like forage fish which share characteristics of the true sprat. Apart from the true sprats, FishBase list another 48 species whose common names ends with "sprat". Some examples are:
The average length of time from fertilization to hatching is approximately fifteen days, with environmental factors playing a major role in the size and overall success of the sprat. The development of young larval sprat and reproductive success of the sprat have been largely influenced by environmental factors. Some of these factors that are affecting the sprat can be seen in the Baltic Sea, where specific gravity, water temperature, depth, and other such factors play a role in the success of the sprat. The amount of sprat over the last two decades has fluctuated due primarily to availability of zooplankton, a common food source, and also from overall changes in Clupeidae total abundance. Although the overall survival rates of the sprat decreased in the late 1980s and early 1990s, there has been an increase in the last two decades. Recent studies suggesting that there is a progression in the reproductive success of the sprat acknowledge that there has been a significant increase in spawning stock biomass. One of the main concerns for reproductive success for the sprat include winters that are exceedingly cold, as cold temperatures, especially in the Baltic Sea, have been known to affect the development of sprat eggs and larvae.
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Wikipedia