It should be emphasized that owing to their affordability, small pelagics are widely consumed in Senegal. Their consumption in a fresh form is mainly during the peak fishing season, from March to June, in fish-landing centres and villages close to these centres. Generally considered as low-value fish or fish for the poor, small pelagics are scarcely iced or refrigerated and the main utilization method remains curing into artisanal local products called kethiak (roasted, salted and dried Ethmalosa or Sardinella), tambadiang and yauss (whole dried Ethmalosa). According to the 2000 data, out of the 36 857 tonnes of artisanally processed products recorded, 26 000 tonnes is made up of small pelagic fish species.
