Black Sea sprat

The Black Sea sprat or Pontic sprat,^[1] Clupeonella cultriventris, is a small fish of the herring family, Clupeidae. It is found in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov and rivers of its basins: Danube, Dnister, Dnipro (Ukraine), Southern Bug, Don, Kuban. It has white-grey flesh and silver-grey scales. A typical size is 10 cm (3.9 in), maximum 15 cm (5.9 in).^[4] The life span is up to 5 years.^[4] The peak of its spawning is in April and it can be found in enormous shoals in sea-shores, filled all-round coastal shallows, moving quickly back into the sea at a depth of 6–30 metres (20–98 ft). Used for food; it has around 12% fat in flesh.

It is one of the most abundant fishes in the Sea of Azov. It is important prey for other fishes, particularly the pikeperch.^[5]

The Clupeonella cultiventris has become a naturalized and often dominant species in the pelagic zones of the Volga and Kama River reservoirs. It exhibits long-term (6–8 year) population cycles, particularly in the Upper Volga. The northernmost point of its self-sustaining population in the Volga-Kama region is the Sheksna Reservoir, with single mature individuals occasionally recorded even further north in Lake Beloye.^[6]

The Caspian tyulka Clupeonella caspia has been long considered a subspecies of C. cultriventris, C. cultriventris caspia, and a common name "Black and Caspian Sea sprat" was then applied to the whole.^[7][4]

In Odesa cuisine, the sprats are battered and fried to produce sprat cutlets.

• Sprat cutlets
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