The scientific note from Dr. Ali Salarpuri, the academic member of the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea Ecological Research Institute, with the title of "Everything about sardines and anchovies" was published in the Journal of Animal, Poultry and Aquatic Nutrition. The scientific note states: Sardines and anchovies are small pelagic fish. These fish exhibit a herd behavior and live in the pelagic zone of waters. This type of herding behavior of sardines is a kind of protection against predators. Before dawn, the herds begin to form; the size of the herds reaches a maximum in the middle of the day; and at night, the herds disperse in order to feed. In the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, 24 species of the family Clupeidae and 17 species of the family Engraulidae have been identified so far. The Sardinella sindensis and Encrasicholina punctifer make up about 80 to 90 percent of species catch composition of small pelagic fishes in the Hormozgan province. Sardines and anchovies are short - lived and fast - growing fish. Sardines and anchovies live for 2.5 and 1.5 years, respectively. These fish feed on plankton. Sardines feed mainly on copepods, whereas anchovies feed on bivalve larvae. Sardines spawn in the spring, whereas anchovies spawn in the summer. On average, each sardine fish can produce 15,000 eggs and each anchovy fish can produce 1,500 eggs. These fish maintain the stability of their populations in the face of adverse environmental conditions and their fish stocks have a high ability to rebuild.
Economic importance
Sardines and anchovies depend on the environmental conditions of the surface layers of seawater and live mainly near coastal productive areas. The surface water temperature and chlorophyll levels of surface water are important factors in the distribution and accumulation of these fish. These fish have a special ecological position in the ecosystem of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. So that tuna, narrow - barred Spanish mackerel, barracudas, cutlassfish, sharks, dolphins and other larger aquatic animals in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman are highly dependent on sardines and anchovies because of their nutritional needs. More than 95 % of sardines and anchovies are caught in Hormozgan province. The catch of these fish in Hormozgan province has been increasing and in 2017 it reached 86 thousand tons which constituted 30 % of the total catch of Hormozgan province. The catch value of these fish is estimated at 2,500 billion rials and the catch of these fish supports nearly 4,000 jobs. However, this amount is only 3 % of the gross profit of the total catch of Hormozgan province.
The nutritional value of sardines and anchovies
The nutritional value of this fish is in some cases higher than that of large fish, and like kilka fish, it is rich in calcium and phosphorus because it is consumed with bones. Sardines are high in calories because of their high fat content, and their fat - soluble vitamins, such as A, D, E, and K, are higher than their water - soluble vitamins. The flesh of this fish is a little dark and is richer in B vitamins than white - fleshed fish. 60 grams of sardines provide 400 % of the vitamin B12 requirement and 20 % of the total daily calcium requirement.
Products from sardines and anchovies
Sardines are commercially caught for a variety of uses including production of fish oil, canned sardines, surimi from fish paste, fermented products such as fish sauce, sushi, smoked fish, fish meal, etc. The goal is to use these fish for human consumption, while sardines are used to produce fish meal which is used as animal feed. Anchovies can also be used to produce fish sauce, canned fish, surimi, dried fish, pickled fish in vinegar, etc. Sardine fish oil is a product obtained by extracting oil from whole sardines or from canning waste of this type of fish. In animal feeds, sardines are used as a source of vitamin A and D. Sardine oil has many uses including the production of paint, varnish and linoleum. It is worth mentioning that "Mahiaveh" and "Suragh" are among the fermented fish products in Hormozgan province. Mahiaveh, also known as Mahiabeh, Ma'hiaweh, and Mahweh, is a special food for the people of southern Iran. Mahiaveh is a dark, salty, spicy watery product made from anchovies and eaten with bread or other foods, which is very nutritious and appetizing.
Fishing methods in Hormozgan province
The fishing grounds for small pelagic fish in Hormozgan are scattered from Parsian in the west to Sourgalm in the east of Hormozgan. The small pelagic fish are caught in the waters of Qeshm Island (78 %), Bandar Lengeh (16 %), Jask (4 %) and Parsian region (2 %). Most of these fish are caught by the two - boats purse seining method, but the sardine beach seine fishery and launch purse seining methods are also used. Sardines and anchovies make up 30 and 70 % of small pelagic fish catches in the Hormozgan province, respectively.
The amount of resources
Due to the impact of environmental conditions on small pelagic fish stocks, different harvesting capacities of these fish resources have been estimated. According to the latest research, the maximum allowable harvest for these fish is estimated at 75,000 tons. It seems that the exploitation of sardine and anchovy resources is approaching its maximum capacity and it is necessary to take management measures for sustainable use of these resources and control of fishing.