Bonga Shad

The largest fisheries are in Senegal, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Cameroun, mainly in the dry season. Total catches for 1983 were 88 121 t (Nigeria 31 622 t, Sierra Leone 21 127 t, Ivory Coast 14 618 t). Caught by canoe fishermen using purse seines and encircling nets, also seine nets in lagoons and estuaries. Marketed fresh, also smoked and dried (the latter greatly preferred in Cameroun and perhaps elsewhere, but the Senegambian catch is mostly marketed fresh).The total catch reported for this species to FAO for 1999 was 184 271 t. The countries with the largest catches were Guinea (33 780 t) and Senegal (29 468 t).

Euryhaline,inshore waters,also lagoons and more than 300 km up rivers (e.g. Gambia River, where they move down during flooding, but up again during intrusion of seawater in the dry season).Feeds by filtering phytoplankton, chiefly diatoms (full analysis by Rainbridge, 1963). Breeds throughout year in waters of salinities 3.5 to 38°/oo, but with peaks in at least some areas (March, June/ July and October/November at mouth of Gambia River - see Scheffers & Conand, 1976; July to September off Sierra Leone; November to May/June off Ivory Coast and Nigeria, i.e. progressively later to south); spawns in the sea, in estuaries and in rivers.

To 35 cm standard length, usually about 20 to 25 cm.

Eastern central Atlantic (Dakhla, western Sahara, to at least Lobito, Angola - i.e. from 24°N to 12°S; dwarf population in Lake Nokoué, Benin). Records from Cape Verde Islands based on erroneous type locality for E. fimbriata by Bowdich - followed by later authors.

Body fairly deep, compressed, scutes present along belly. Upper jaw with distinct median notch, into which tip of lower jaw fits. Lower gillrakers long, fine and numerous, about 3 times as long as gill filaments, upper gillrakers bent sharply upward, V-shaped. Pelvic finrays i 7; caudal fin tips long and pointed. A faint dark spot behind gill cover (sometimes followed by others); dorsal fin tip black; caudal fin deep chrome yellow; golden tints on body. Resembles Sardinella aurita , S. rouxi and especially S. maderensis, but these are more slender, have a rounded upper jaw (not notched) and upper gillrakers are not bent upward like an elbow. Alosa species do not overlap E. dorsalis in the north of its range (also upper gillrakers not bent, pelvic finrays i 8).

Catadromous. Migrating from freshwater to the sea to spawn, e.g., European eels. Subdivision of diadromous. Migrations should be cyclical and predictable and cover more than 100 km.

Ethmalosa fimbriata is found in fairly shallow coastal waters, lagoons and estuaries, and sometimes also in lower courses of coastal rivers, even more than 300 km up rivers; euryhaline (Ref. 187, 188, 81269, 81631).

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 16 - 19; Analspines: 0; Analsoft rays: 19 - 25; Vertebrae: 40 - 44

Diagnosis: Body fairly deep, compressed, scutes present along belly; upper jaw with distinct notch, into which tip of lower jaw fits; lower gillrakers long, fine and numerous, about 3 times as long as gill filaments, upper gillrakers bent sharply upward, V-shaped; pelvic fin rays with 1 unbranched and 7 branched rays; caudal fin tips long and pointed (Ref. 188). A faint dark spot behind gill cover, sometimes followed by others; dorsal fin tip black; caudal fin deep chrome yellow; golden tints on body (Ref. 188, 81269). Ethmalosa fimbriata resembles Sardinella aurita, Sardinella rouxi and especially Sardinella maderensis, but these are more slender, have a rounded upper jaw which is not notched and the upper gillrakers are not bent upward like an elbow (Ref. 188).Description: Body fairly deep, compressed, scutes present along belly (Ref. 188, 2849, 81269, 81631). Mouth terminal; upper jaw with distinct median notch, into which tip of lower jaw fits (Ref. 187, 188). Adipose eyelid very well developed (Ref. 2849, 5356, 81269, 81631). Lower gillrakers long, fine and numerous, about 3 times as long as gill filaments; upper gillrakers bent sharply upward, V-shaped; total gill rakers about 108 (Ref. 188, 104885). Dorsal fin short, at about midpoint of body, with 16-19 rays, consisting of 3-5 unbranched and 12-17 branched rays; anal fin well behind dorsal fin base, with 19-25 rays, consisting of 2-4 unbranched and 17-23 branched rays; pectoral fin with 1 unbranched and 14 branched rays; pelvic fin with 1 unbranched and 7 branched rays; caudal fin tips long and pointed (Ref. 187, 188, 2849, 5356, 81269, 81631, 104885). Scales lacinate on posterior margin, numbering 37-45 in a longitudinal series; transversal scales 16-19; pre-dorsal scales 20-22 (Ref. 2849, 5356, 81269, 81631). With 16-20 pre-pelvic and 10-13 post-pelvic midventral scutes (Ref. 2849, 5356, 81269, 81631). Number of vertebrae 40-44 (Ref. 5356).Colouration: Back blue/green, sides silvery, with a faint oval spot a short distance behind gill opening; golden areas on upper part of head; anterior dorsal finrays dark, rest of fin yellow, except at base; anal fin yellow at base; caudal fin deep chrome yellow, but upper edge and hind margin grey (Ref. 187). Alcohol-preserved specimens are silvery, with the back brownish to greenish; a rounded black spot behind the upper part of operculum, sometimes followed by one or more, less visible, spots aligned in a longitudinal series (Ref. 188, 2849, 2849, 81269, 81631).

Breeds all year in waters of salinities 3.5 to 38 ppt, but with peaks in at least some areas, becoming progressively later to south. Spawns in the sea, in estuaries and in rivers.

Goussia Infestation. Parasitic infestations (protozoa, worms, etc.)

Thraustotheca Infestation. Fungal diseases

Saprolegnia Infestation. Fungal diseases

Dictyuchus Infestation. Fungal diseases

Aphanomyces Infestation. Fungal diseases

Allomycetes Infestation. Fungal diseases

Achlya Infestation. Fungal diseases

Ethmalosa fimbriata is found in fairly shallow coastal waters, lagoons and estuaries, and sometimes also in lower courses of coastal rivers, even more than 300 km up rivers (Ref. 187, 188, 81269, 81631). It feeds principally on phytoplankton, chiefly diatoms, filtered by the very fine gillraker sieve (Ref. 187, 188, 3166). It breeds throughout the year in waters of salinities 3.5-38 ppt, but with peaks in at least some areas; spawns in the sea, in estuaries and in rivers (Ref. 188). The largest fisheries are in Senegal, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Cameroon, mainly in the dry season (Ref. 188).

fisheries: highly commercial; aquaculture: experimental; price category: high; price reliability: reliable: based on ex-vessel price for this species

Ethmalosa fimbriata, the bonga shad or just bonga, is a shad, a clupeid fish, that occurs along the coasts and in brackish water of coastal lagoons, rivers and lakes of western Africa from Dakhla in Western Sahara to Lobito in Angola. It is usually around 25 cm long but the maximum length is 45 cm. It is the only member of its genus.