Long-term investigations of the small pelagic fish species in the Adriatic Sea

The most important small pelagic fish species in the Adriatic Sea are: sardine, Sardina pilchardus (Walb.), anchovy, Engraulis encrasicolus (L.), Atlantic mackerel, Scomber scombrus L. and chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus (Houtt.). They are migratory species, common and shared, rather widely distributed in the Adriatic sea and play a very important role in the economy of the eastern Adriatic Sea countries, especially sardine and anchovy. Sardine catches comprised more than 73% of the total pelagic fish species during 1950-2001 period. The results of the long-term researches of this species researches are presented in this paper.