Black And Caspian Sea Sprat

Body moderately deep, its depth about 21 to 27% of standard length; head short and wide, inter-orbital width at least 17.5% of standard length; belly sharply keeled, with 24 to 29 scutes. Gillrakers 49 to 62. Pectoral fin tips pointed.

Black Sea (northwestern parts), Sea of Azov and Caspian Sea, also most of the affluent rivers of the area, reaching as far as 60 km inland.Also, Lake Palaeostomi (Bulgaria)and in Bay of Feodosiya (Romania), also Lake Apolyont (Turkey).

To 14.5 cm standard length, usually to 10 cm.

Pelagic,euryhaline, essentially a brackishwater species (tolerating sali nities up to 34%o), but with semi-anadromous and purely freshwater forms in rivers and lakes; migratory between winter or autumn feeding and summer spawning grounds.Feeds on zooplankton. Breeds in early summer in Sea of Azov (peak in May), and from about May in the lower reaches of rivers (Dneiper, Dneister).

Of major importance in Sea of Azov (one of the top commercial fishes); stocks depleted in southern part of Caspian Sea (Coad, 1980:71 - C. delicatula). The total catch in 1983 was 396 731 t. The total catch reported for this species to FAO for 1999 was 180 687 t. The countries with the largest catches were Russian Federation (152 934 t) and Ukraine (9 992 t).