ABSTRACT

The abundance and catch of sardines and anchovies fl uctuates greatly over time. However these fi sh comprised over one-fi fth of the world’s catch of marine fi sh in 2009, and historically account for a large volume of landings in most continents, especially in America and Africa. Multi-decadal natural variations result in shifts between sardine and anchovy dominance of catches; anchovy dominated global Small Pelagic Fish (SPF) harvests during the years 1960-1976 and from 1992 onwards, while sardine dominated during the remaining years (Figs. 9.1 and 9.2).