Atlantic herring

E42897

The Atlantic herring is a small, schooling, silver-colored marine fish found in vast shoals across the North Atlantic, where it plays a key ecological and commercial role as a major forage and food species.

Aliases (1)

Statements (60)
Predicate Object
instanceOf commercial fish species
fish species
forage fish
marine fish
activityPattern pelagic
binomialName Clupea harengus
class Actinopterygii
commercialUse bait fish
food fish
commonName Atlantic herring
diet copepods
krill
plankton
small fish larvae
eggType demersal eggs
family Clupeidae
fisheryRegion Northeast Atlantic
Northwest Atlantic
forms large shoals
foundIn Baltic Sea
Bay of Fundy
European Atlantic coast
Gulf of Maine
North American Atlantic coast
North Sea
Norwegian Sea
genus Clupea
habitat continental shelf waters
hasBehavior schooling
hasBodyShape streamlined
hasColor silver
importance key forage species in North Atlantic ecosystems
major commercial species in North Atlantic fisheries
isPreyOf Atlantic cod
marine mammals
seabirds
sharks
tuna
kingdom Animalia
lifespan up to about 20 years
management subject to international fishery management
maximumLength about 45 centimeters
maximumWeight about 0.7 kilograms
migrationType feeding migrations
spawning migrations
migratoryBehavior highly migratory
nativeTo North Atlantic Ocean
order Clupeiformes
phylum Chordata
processedAs pickled herring
salted herring
smoked herring
reproductionType oviparous
salinityPreference marine
spawningHabitat coastal waters
continental shelf areas
swimmingSpeed fast schooling swimmer
taxonRank species
trophicLevel planktivore
typicalLength 20 to 30 centimeters


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