Bony fish · Clupeiformes · Clupeidae

Atlantic Herring

Clupea harengus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

It is one of the most important forage fish in the North Atlantic ecosystem, supporting populations of cod, seabirds and marine mammals.

Weight

up to 1.1 kg

Size

up to 45 cm

Lifespan

12 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Irregular activity

Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.

Social structure

School

Gathers in coordinated schools, typical of fish.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanOmnivore Variable activity In schools Fish Ocean

18countries 35parks 20dive sites2same family

Fun facts

It eats copepods, krill and fish larvae.
It forms large shoals in coastal and continental-shelf waters on both sides of the North Atlantic.
Its eggs, laid in thick layers on the sea floor, can suffer heavy mortality from lack of oxygen in the deeper layers.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - bony skeleton (fish)
Habitat & environment: Coastal and continental-shelf waters on both sides of the North Atlantic, forming large shoals
Birth weight: ~6 mm long at hatching
Size at birth: 6 mm long on hatching, the yolk sac absorbed by around 10 mm
Sexual maturity: 2-9 years depending on the population (most commonly 3-5 years)
Gestation / incubation: 7-10 days of egg development
Litter / clutch size: 20,000 to 200,000 eggs per female, laid as an adhesive layer on the sea floor

Sources consulted: Animal Diversity Web; Animalia.bio; ScienceDirect (fecundity study); Britannica; FishBase; Perennia Nova Scotia; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Grokipedia (Atlantic herring)