Bonga shad
Ethmalosa fimbriata (Bowdich, 1825)
Family Dorosomatidae • the sardine of West African estuaries
1 look-alike to know
| French name | Ethmalose. Other names: ethmalose d’Afrique, sardine des estuaires, bonga. |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Ethmalosa fimbriata (Bowdich, 1825) |
| Family | Family Dorosomatidae |
| English name (FAO) | Bonga shad |
| Local names | On Ivorian markets and landing sites: “Ahoubé” (Ouattara et al., 2016). |
| Habitat | Coastal, lagoon and estuarine, brackish, neritic pelagic. Depth 0 to 50 m. Moves up rivers. |
| IUCN status | Least Concern (LC), IUCN Red List, assessed on 30/04/2019. Avoid mass catches of juveniles. Eastern Atlantic, from Western Sahara to Angola. |
How to recognise it
- fairly deep, compressed body, belly keeled with scutes;
- clear median notch in the upper jaw, receiving the tip of the lower jaw: the decisive character;
- diffuse dark spot behind the gill cover, sometimes followed by others;
- black tip to the dorsal fin, chrome-yellow caudal fin with long pointed lobes; golden sheen;
- lower gill rakers long and fine, upper ones bent upward in a V.
Do not confuse with: the sardinellas (Sardinella aurita, S. maderensis), more slender, with a rounded upper jaw without a notch.
Size
Common size 25 cm; maximum 46 cm and 1 kg (FishBase).
Life
Plankton filter feeder in dense schools, tolerates wide changes in salinity; a mainstay of subsistence fishing and smoked fish in the Ivorian lagoons.
Fishing
Beach seine, fine gillnet, cast net from the canoe; on the line, fine feathered sabiki, hooks 12 to 16. Beware of the sharp belly scutes.
At the table
Oily, tasty but fragile flesh; smoked or dried, a staple food in West Africa.
Status
Least Concern (LC), IUCN Red List, assessed on 30/04/2019 (via FishBase, checked on 25/10/2026). Avoid mass catches of juveniles.
Local names
« Ahoubé »: markets and landing sites of Côte d'Ivoire (Ouattara et al., 2016); language to be specified. « Bonga »: common name in West Africa, countries to be specified.
Sources: FishBase, Ethmalosa fimbriata (accessed on 25/10/2026); V13 species sheet 65.