to near the surface at night to feed. Ecology 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. This fish is sometimes parasitised by a copepod, the sprat eye-maggot (Lernaeenicus sprattae) which burrows into its eye and causes loss of visual acuity or even blindness. Heavy infestations can kill the fish. Uses There are substantial fisheries for this fish in various parts of its range. It is mostly caught by trawling and is made into fish meal, canned, smoked, and eaten fresh; cooking methods include pan-frying and broiling. It is used for feeding mink and juveniles are used for fish bait. 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. Status 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". Nutrition information References European sprat Fish of Europe Fish of the Mediterranean Sea Fish of the North Sea Fish of the Black Sea Fish of the Baltic Sea Commercial fish European sprat European sprat