RMCA publications

Clupeiformes are an order of bony fishes with a very wide distribution that includes herrings, sardines, pilchards, sprats, shads, anchovies and wolf-herrings. Most species are marine and live in schools in coastal areas. However, a number of species enter brackish and fresh waters, and some even live permanently in freshwater rivers and/or lakes. In Africa, they are especially well represented in the fresh waters of West Africa, the Lower Guinea ichthyofaunal province and the Congo basin.

Clupeiformes are one of the most economically important fish groups in the world. Among the 14 major species and genera of the marine capture production of finfish in 2018, five belong to the Clupeiformes. They constitute about 17% of total marine capture production. In addition to their direct use for human food and as a source of animal feed, they play an important role in the ecosystems they inhabit, as small and abundant prey for all kinds of predators.

This guide focusses on the clupeiform species from the African inland waters, including Madagascar and the islands between Madagascar and mainland Africa.

A large part of the information in this book was extracted from FishBase. The FishBase for Africa team in the Royal Museum for Central Africa, within the FishBase Consortium, assumes the task of updating the information on African fresh and brackish water species in the database and has made a special effort in recent years to get the information on Clupeiformes in FishBase up to date. This information has been edited and, if necessary, complemented for the purpose of this book. Freely available at this link