Европейская килька (Sprattus sprattus)

Species of fish
Speciesbox
| name = European sprat
| image = Sprattus sprattus. jpg
| status = LC
| status system = IUCN3.1
| status ref =
| taxon = Sprattus sprattus
| authority = (Linnaeus, 1758)
| synonyms = *Clupanodon phalerica Risso, 1827
Clupea latulus Cuvier, 1829
Clupea papalina Bonaparte, 1846
Clupea schoneveldii Krøyer, 1846
Clupea sprattus Linnaeus, 1758
Clupea sulinae Antipa, 1904
Meletta vulgaris Valenciennes, 1847
Spratella pumila Valenciennes, 1847
Spratella serdinka Nikolskii, 1923
Spratella sprattus
| synonyms ref = The fish is the subject of fisheries, particularly in Scandinavia, and is made into fish meal, as well as being used for human consumption. When used for food it can be canned, salted, breaded, fried, boiled, grilled, baked, deep fried, marinated, broiled, and smoked.

This fish was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae. He called it Clupea sprattus, but it was later transferred to the genus Sprattus.

The European sprat is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. Its range includes the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, southern Norway and Sweden, round the coasts of the British Isles, the Iberian Peninsula, Morocco, the Mediterranean Sea, the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea. It occurs both in open water well away from the coast and in bays and estuaries, being able to tolerate salinities as low as 4 parts per thousand. It is a schooling fish and migrates between its winter feeding grounds and its summer breeding grounds. It also makes vertical migrations, rising to near the surface at night to feed.

Adult sprats feed on copepods such as Calanus, Pseudocalanus and Temora while juveniles feed on the eggs and larvae of these crustaceans, and on diatoms. Breeding takes place at any time of year but peaks between December and April in the Mediterranean and between April and August in the Baltic and northeastern Atlantic. Spawning may take place in inshore waters or up to off the coast. Young sprats are commonly known as brisling. Canned sprats (usually smoked) are available in many north European countries, including the Baltic states, Scandinavia, Ireland, Germany, Poland and Russia. The fish has about 10.5% fat in its flesh and is a rich source of vitamins and minerals.

This fish has large swings in its population size, particularly in the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea. These may in part be due to the increasing dominance of the comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi which in turn may be related to increases in sea temperature. Landings by commercial fisheries in the Mediterranean and Black Seas fell in the 1990s but recovered in the next decade. The population size and trend of this fish is unknown and the International Union for Conservation of Nature is unable to assess its conservation status, listing it as "Data deficient".

+ Per 100g (drained weight, approx)Energy 777kJProtein18.5gFat total:12.5g saturated (max)2.9g trans (max)0g polyunsaturated (max)2.8g Omega 32.2g EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid)920mg DHA Docosahexaenoic acid1130 mg monounsaturated6.5gCarbohydrate0g Sugars0gSodium377 mgCalcium99 mg