Pacific Herring

§ Quick facts

§ Encyclopedia

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. They do not die after spawning and 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.

Source: Wikipedia — Pacific herring · Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

§ Identification

Field marks. Slender silvery fish with deeply forked tail, blue-green back; single dorsal fin midway; very similar to Atlantic Herring.

Similar species. Atlantic Herring (different ocean). Pacific Sardine (smaller; different scale pattern). Pacific Hake (much larger; different family).

Voice. Schools produce audible clicks during evening feeding.

§ Diet & behavior

Diet. Zooplankton (copepods), small fish larvae, occasional small fish.

Behavior. Critical foundation species of North Pacific coastal ecosystems. Spawn nearshore in spring, depositing eggs on eelgrass and kelp — these eggs are critical food for seabirds, juvenile salmon, and other predators. Pacific Herring eggs ("herring roe on kelp") are an important traditional food and economic resource for Northwest Coast First Nations. Modern herring stocks (especially British Columbia and Alaska) are subject to controversial management decisions weighing commercial harvest against ecosystem and cultural needs.

§ Range

Pacific Coast

§ Habitat

Coastal waters

§ Threats

Overfishing.

§ Conservation status

According to the IUCN Red List, the pacific herring is currently classified as Least Concern.

§ What helps

Buy MSC-certified Pacific herring.

§ Further reading

• Wikipedia — Pacific herring
• www.nwf.org — authoritative profile of Clupea pallasii
• IUCN Red List · taxon 154562
• iNaturalist · taxon 49422
• GBIF occurrence records
• Encyclopedia of Life — Clupea pallasii

§ Sources cited

• Pacific Fishery Management Council
• Alaska Department of Fish and Game
• Tlingit-Haida Central Council
• IUCN Red List 2018