pacific sardine
Sardinops sagax · Alosidae · forage fish
Sardine of coastal schools in the eastern Pacific, used mainly for fishmeal and as bait. It is food for other fish in the region.
Also called: sardinha-do-pacífico, sardina monterrey, pacific sardine, pilchard
- maximum
- 40 cm
- record/max.
- 0.5 kg
- depth
- 0–200 m
the right time
to be on the water
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
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hour by hour
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
trend for the coming weeks
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
everything about the pacific sardine
who is the pacific sardine
A fish of the family Alosidae, the family of sardines, with a cylindrical, elongated body, reaching 39.5 cm, though the common size is about 20 cm. It forms large schools in coastal and shelf waters, down to 200 m deep. In the eastern Pacific, it occurs from Chile to Mexico, through Peru and Ecuador. It feeds mainly on small crustaceans and plankton. In California, it migrates north in summer and returns south in autumn. In fishing, it is mostly used as bait.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the pacific sardine.
fun facts
- It may live up to 25 years, and its migrations in California grow longer with each year of life.
identification
Cylindrical, elongated body, blue-green on the back and white on the flanks, with one to three rows of dark dots at the middle of the flank. The mark that separates it from the other sardines of the region is the radiating bony striae on the gill cover, which run downward. The belly is rounded, with ventral scutes.
where found
In the eastern Pacific, from Chile to Mexico, through Peru and Ecuador, in coastal and shelf waters. The species also occurs in other parts of the Indo-Pacific.
Habitat: Coastal and shelf waters, in schools, from the surface down to 200 m.
rules for the pacific sardine
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
It has no dangerous spines or teeth. It is a small, fragile fish: hold it with wet hands and release it quickly.
in the kitchen
Sold fresh, frozen or canned, and eaten fried or grilled. A good share becomes fishmeal.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00776, b = 3.1; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Sardinops sagax (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Sardinops sagaxNames by country and language.
where each number comes from
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations: