Lake Malawi sardine explained

The Lake Malawi sardine, lake sardine, or usipa (Engraulicypris sardella), is an African species of freshwater fish in the family Danionidae. It is endemic to Lake Malawi and its outlet, the (upper) Shire River; it is found in Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania.^[1]

The Lake Malawi sardine is an important fishery species in Lake Malawi, both as a food fish and as bait.^[2] It is a pelagic, shoaling species that feeds on zooplankton. It grows to a maximum size of 13cm (05inches) TL, though commonly they are smaller.^[3]

Usipa plays a significant role in the economic livelihood for many households at Lake Malawi that rely upon fishing for income. Because of its small size, it is commonly dried. Usipa is mostly eaten in Malawi and Mozambique along with nsima ugali. Dried usipa is sold at most markets in Malawi.^[4] In Malawi, usipa is typically consumed with the bones in it due to their softness.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Riddin . Megan A. . Bills . I. Roger . Villet . Martin H. . amp . Phylogeographic, morphometric and taxonomic re-evaluation of the river sardine, Mesobola brevianalis (Boulenger, 1908) (Teleostei, Cyprinidae, Chedrini) . ZooKeys . 2016 . 641 . 121–150 . 10.3897/zookeys.641.10434. 28138294 . 5240351 . free . 2016ZooK..641..121R .
2. FAO. Thompson. A. B.. A. Bulirani . Growth of usipa (Engraulicypris sardella) in Lake Malawi/Niassa. Papers presented at the Symposium on Biology, Stock Assessment and Exploitation of Small Pelagic Fish Species in the African Great Lakes Region. Bujumbura, Burundi, from 25 to 28 November 1992. 2013-05-21. 1993.
3. Web site: Froese . Rainer . December 2013 . Engraulicypris sardella . January 23, 2025 . FishBase.
4. Book: Briggs, Phillip . Malawi . Bradt Travel Guides . 2013 . 978-1841624747 . 45.
5. Book: Russell, Aaron J. M. (contributor) . Country Case Study: Development and Status of Freshwater Aquaculture in Malawi . WorldFish . 2008 . 978-9832346647 . 2026.