Clupea

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Clupea
Temporal range: 55–0  Ma
O
S
D
C
P
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J
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Pg
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Early Eocene to Present. [1]
Clupea harengus.png
Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Clupeiformes
Family: Clupeidae
Subfamily: Clupeinae
Genus: Clupea
Linnaeus, 1758
Species

see text

Clupea is genus of planktivorous bony fish belonging to the family Clupeidae, commonly known as herrings. They are found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Two main species of Clupea are currently recognized: the Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) and the Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii), which have each been divided into subspecies. Herrings are forage fish moving in vast schools, coming in spring to the shores of Europe and America, where they form important commercial fisheries.

Contents

Morphology

The species of Clupea belong to the larger family Clupeidae (herrings, shads, sardines, menhadens), which comprises some 200 species that share similar features. They are silvery-colored fish that have a single dorsal fin, which is soft, without spines. They have no lateral line and have a protruding lower jaw. Their size varies between subspecies: the Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras) is small, 14 to 18 centimeters; the proper Atlantic herring (C. h. harengus) can grow to about 45.72 cm (18.00 in) and weigh up 680 g (1.50 lb); and Pacific herring grow to about 38 cm (15 in).

Species

Clupea species
Common nameScientific nameMaximum
length
Common
length
Maximum
weight
Maximum
age
Trophic
level
Fish
Base
FAO ITIS IUCN status
Atlantic herring Clupea harengus Linnaeus, 1758 45.0 cm30.0 cm1.1 kg22 years3.23 [2] [3] [4] LC IUCN 3 1.svg Least concern [5]
   - Atlantic herring    - C. h. harengus Linnaeus, 1758 [6]
   - Baltic herring    - C. h. membras Valenciennes, 1847 [7]
Pacific herring Clupea pallasiiValenciennes, 184746.0 cm25.0 cm19 years3.15 [8] [9] [10] Not assessed
   - Pacific herring    - C. p. pallasiiValenciennes, 184746.0 cm25.0 cm [8] -
   - White Sea herring    - C. p. marisalbiL. S. Berg, 192334.0 cm [11] - [12]
   - Chosa herring    - C. p. suworowiRabinerson, 192731.5 cm [13] -

Ecology

See Atlantic herring for videos of juvenile herring feeding by catching copepods.

Video loop of a school of Atlantic herring migrating to their spawning grounds in the Baltic Sea Heringsschwarm.gif
Video loop of a school of Atlantic herring migrating to their spawning grounds in the Baltic Sea

Predators of herring include humans, seabirds, dolphins, porpoises, striped bass, seals, sea lions, whales, sharks, dog fish, tuna, cod, salmon, and halibut. Other large fish also feed on adult herring.[ citation needed ]

Young herring feed on phytoplankton and as they mature they start to consume larger organisms. Adult herring feed on zooplankton, tiny animals that are found in oceanic surface waters, and small fish and fish larvae. Copepods and other tiny crustaceans are the most common zooplankton eaten by herring. During daylight herring stay in the safety of deep water, feeding at the surface only at night when there is less chance of being seen by predators. They swim along with their mouths open, filtering the plankton from the water as it passes through their gills.

Fisheries

Commercial herring catch Herring catch-Sep200.jpg
Commercial herring catch

Adult herring are harvested for their meat and eggs, and they are often used as baitfish. The trade in herring is an important sector of many national economies. In Europe the fish has been called the "silver of the sea", and its trade has been so significant to many countries that it has been regarded as the most commercially important fishery in history. [14] Environmental Defense have suggested that the Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) fishery is one of the more environmentally responsible fisheries. [15]

Medieval herring fishing in Scania, 1555 Olausmagnus scaniamarket.jpg
Medieval herring fishing in Scania, 1555

Sources

Related Research Articles

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Cod is the common name for the demersal fish genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus Gadus is commonly not called cod.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mackerel</span> Pelagic fish

Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clupeidae</span> Family of fishes

Clupeidae is a family of clupeiform ray-finned fishes, comprising, for instance, the herrings and sprats. Many members of the family have a body protected with shiny cycloid scales, a single dorsal fin, and a fusiform body for quick, evasive swimming and pursuit of prey composed of small planktonic animals. Due to their small size and position in the lower trophic level of many marine food webs, the levels of methylmercury they bioaccumulate are very low, reducing the risk of mercury poisoning when consumed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herring</span> Forage fish, mostly belonging to the family Clupeidae

Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic herring</span> Species of fish

Atlantic herring is a herring in the family Clupeidae. It is one of the most abundant fish species in the world. Atlantic herrings can be found on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, congregating in large schools. They can grow up to 45 centimetres (18 in) in length and weigh up to 1.1 kilograms (2.4 lb). They feed on copepods, krill and small fish, while their natural predators are seals, whales, cod and other larger fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sardine</span> Common name for various small, oily forage fish

Sardine and pilchard are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring family Clupeidae. The term 'sardine' was first used in English during the early 15th century; a somewhat dubious folk etymology says it comes from the Italian island of Sardinia, around which sardines were once supposedly abundant.

<i>Gadus</i> Genus of fishes

Gadus is a genus of demersal fish in the family Gadidae, commonly known as cod, although there are additional cod species in other genera. The best known member of the genus is the Atlantic cod.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pickled herring</span> Traditional way of preserving herring

Pickled herring is a traditional way of preserving herring as food by pickling or curing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sprat</span> Common name for several kinds of forage fish

Sprat is the common name applied to a group of forage fish belonging to the genus Sprattus in the family Clupeidae. The term also is applied to a number of other small sprat-like forage fish. Like most forage fishes, sprats are highly active, small, oily fish. They travel in large schools with other fish and swim continuously throughout the day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pelagic fish</span> Fish in the pelagic zone of ocean waters

Pelagic fish live in the pelagic zone of ocean or lake waters—being neither close to the bottom nor near the shore—in contrast with demersal fish that live on or near the bottom, and reef fish that are associated with coral reefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bigeye scad</span> Species of fish

The bigeye scad is a species of oceanic fish found in tropical regions around the globe. Other common names include purse-eyed scad, goggle-eyed scad, akule, chicharro, charrito ojón, jacks, matang baka, mushimas and coulirou. The bigeye scad is fished commercially, both for human consumption and for bait.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific herring</span> Species of fish

The Pacific herring is a species of the herring family associated with the Pacific Ocean environment of North America and northeast Asia. It is a silvery fish with unspined fins and a deeply forked caudal fin. The distribution is widely along the California coast from Baja California north to Alaska and the Bering Sea; in Asia the distribution is south to Japan, Korea, and China. Clupea pallasii is considered a keystone species because of its very high productivity and interactions with many predators and prey. Pacific herring spawn in variable seasons, but often in the early part of the year in intertidal and sub-tidal environments, commonly on eelgrass, seaweed or other submerged vegetation; however, they do not die after spawning, but can breed in successive years. According to government sources, the Pacific herring fishery collapsed in the year 1993, and is slowly recovering to commercial viability in several North American stock areas. The species is named for Peter Simon Pallas, a noted German naturalist and explorer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anchovy</span> Family of fishes

An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water.

<i>Ilisha</i> (genus) Genus of ray-finned fishes

Ilisha is a genus of ray-finned fishes in the family Pristigasteridae. The genus contains 16 species. It is similar to Pellona but lacks a toothed hypo-maxilla. The genus has a worldwide distribution in tropical and subtropical coastal waters and estuaries. Some species also enter rivers, and I. amazonica and I. novacula are largely–if not entirely–restricted to tropical rivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herring as food</span> Type of fish used as food for humans

Herring are forage fish in the wild, mostly belonging to the family Clupeidae. They are an important food for humans. Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast. The most abundant and commercially important species belong to the genus Clupea, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, including the Baltic Sea, as well as off the west coast of South America. Three species of Clupea are recognized; the main taxon, the Atlantic herring, accounts for over half the world's commercial capture of herrings.

The Araucanian herring is a fish species in the family Clupeidae. It is an epipelagic fish, silvery below and dark blue above, which schools in coastal waters off the west coast of South America. It ranges along the Chilean coast from Valparaiso south to Talcahuano. It schools at depths from 0 to 70 meters in nearshore areas.

The White Sea herring, Clupea pallasii marisalbi, is a subspecies of the Pacific herring, Clupea pallasii, in the genus Clupea of the family Clupeidae.

The chosa herring, Clupea pallasii suworowi, is a subspecies of the Pacific herring, Clupea pallasii, in the genus Clupea of the family Clupeidae.

<i>Ilisha elongata</i> Species of ray-finned fish

The elongate ilisha, also known as the Chinese herring or slender shad, is a species of longfin herring native to the coastal waters and estuaries of North Indian Ocean and Northwest Pacific. It is a relatively large species, up to 45–60 centimetres (18–24 in) in total length. It is an important fishery species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alosidae</span> Family of fishes

The Alosidae, or the shads, are a family of clupeiform fishes. The family currently comprises four genera worldwide, and about 34 species.

References

  1. Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Archived from the original on 2009-02-20. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2012). "Clupea harengus" in FishBase . April 2012 version.
  3. Clupea harengus (Linnaeus, 1758) FAO, Species Fact Sheet. Retrieved April 2012.
  4. "Clupea harengus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  5. Herdson, D.; Priede, I.G. (2010). "Clupea harengus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010: e.T155123A4717767. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T155123A4717767.en . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  6. "Clupea harengus harengus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  7. "Clupea harengus membras". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  8. 1 2 Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2012). "Clupea pallasii pallasii" in FishBase . April 2012 version.
  9. Clupea pallasii (Valenciennes, 1847) FAO, Species Fact Sheet. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  10. "Clupea pallasii". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  11. Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2012). "Clupea pallasii marisalbi" in FishBase . April 2012 version.
  12. "Clupea pallasii marisalbi". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  13. Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2012). "Clupea pallasii suworowi" in FishBase . April 2012 version.: "Status needs confirmation."
  14. Herring Archived 2010-08-14 at the Wayback Machine , from Census of Marine Life Archived 2010-08-04 at the Wayback Machine , 2010.
  15. Eco-Best Fish - Safe for the environment, from Environmental Defense Fund, 2010.