[Peelod]

All sardines aren’t short lived- on the East coast they’re harvested while they’re very young, before they get too big to fit in a can and grow out to become herring/alewife.

Well, then they're no longer sardines.

Since they are short-lived, they don't have signif time to accum lipid soluble dreck.

[capt.P]

Easy there. Sardine is a common name, and not a scientific one... which is why no scientists use common names... ‘Clupeiod fishes’ is probably a better descriptor. One can talk about a dozen species and call ‘em sardines.

Certain popular pesticides preferentially accumulate in lipids... I’d be careful about saying that sardines don’t pick up residual traces of nasty stuff...

Again, sorry, I used to be a marine scientist, and I’m a type A. Hope I didn’t offend.