Species profiles: life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates (North Atlantic). Atlantic herring. [Clupea harengus]
Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) spawn offshore, depositing sheets of eggs on the bottom. They usually spawn in late summer or in fall. Fecundity of Atlantic herring in the Gulf of Maine ranged from 33,000 to 185,000 eggs/female. After spawning, adults usually migrate to warmer areas to overwinter. All life stages feed on zooplankton. Adult herring reach their peak weight in August or September. The Atlantic herring supports a major fishery in Massachusetts and Maine; the average annual value of Maine landings was $4.3 million for 1976-1982. Atlantic herring are significant in the diet of many predators. For juvenile herring, the lower level of salinity tolerance is about 5 ppt; older herring probably prefer higher salinities, and spawning occurs only at 32-33 ppt. Sediment deposition may cause egg mortality. Copper concentrations of greater than or equal to1000 mg/1 and sulfuric acid and ferrous sulfate at dilutions greater than or equal to1:8,000 cause heavy larval mortality.
- Research Organization:
- Maine Univ., Orono (USA). Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit; Fish and Wildlife Service, Slidell, LA (USA). National Wetlands Research Center
- OSTI ID:
- 5327923
- Report Number(s):
- TR-EL-82-4/82-11.38; ON: TI86901598
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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