Clupeidae (Latin: "sardine") is the name of the fish
family of the
herrings,
shads,
sardines,
hilsa, and
menhadens. They include many of the most important
food fishes in the world, and are also commonly caught for production of
fish oil and
fish meal. Many members of the family have a body protected with shiny cycloid scales (very smooth and uniform scales), a single
dorsal fin, with a fusiform body built for quick, evasive swimming and pursuit of prey composed of
small planktonic animals. Due to their small size, and placement in the lower
trophic level of many marine food webs, the levels of
methylmercury they
bioaccumulate are very low, reducing the risk of
mercury poisoning when consumed.
