Atlantic herring
Clupea harengus Linnaeus, 1758
The Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) is a bony fish in the family Clupeidae, order Clupeiformes. It was named by Linnaeus, 1758, and belongs to the genus Clupea and the suborder Clupeoidei.
Quick facts about the Atlantic herring
The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category. Other English names for it include Hern, Sild, Split, Melker and Herron.
- Weight
- up to 1.1 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- up to 45 cmsrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- marinesrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
What does the Atlantic herring eat, and what eats it?
Species recorded in published studies and collections.
Recorded prey of the Atlantic herring
The 24 best supported of 90 on record
- Norway pout Trisopterus esmarkii6 sources
- European sprat Sprattus sprattus5 sources
- Sand shrimp Crangon crangon5 sources
- Themisto abyssorum9 sources
- Calanus finmarchicus7 sources
- Nordic krill Meganyctiphanes norvegica7 sources
- Calanus hyperboreus6 sources
- Thysanoessa longicaudata6 sources
- Pseudocalanus elongatus5 sources
- Temora longicornis5 sources
- Evadne nordmanni5 sources
- Retrovert pteropod Limacina retroversa4 sources
Show 12 more
- Metridia longa4 sources
- Capelin Mallotus villosus4 sources
- Paracalanus parvus4 sources
- Atlantic cod Gadus morhua4 sources
- Sea angel Clione limacina4 sources
- Themisto libellula4 sources
- Thysanoessa inermis4 sources
- Centropages typicus3 sources
- Thysanoessa raschii3 sources
- Gammaropsis maculata3 sources
- Gibbin Ammodytes tobianus3 sources
- Mud shrimp Corophium volutator3 sources
Recorded predators of the Atlantic herring
The 24 best supported of 63 on record
- Merlangius Merlangius merlangus11 sources
- Saithe Pollachius virens10 sources
- Atlantic cod Gadus morhua10 sources
- Spiny dogfish Squalus acanthias9 sources
- Hake Merluccius merluccius8 sources
- Monk Lophius piscatorius8 sources
- Atlantic mackerel Scomber scombrus7 sources
- Guffy Myoxocephalus scorpius7 sources
- Atlantic horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus6 sources
- Grey gurnard Eutrigla gurnardus6 sources
- John dory Zeus faber6 sources
- Dab Hippoglossoides platessoides6 sources
Show 12 more
- Lythe Pollachius pollachius6 sources
- Launce Hyperoplus lanceolatus6 sources
- Haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus6 sources
- Turbot Scophthalmus maximus5 sources
- Bib Trisopterus luscus5 sources
- Ling Molva molva5 sources
- Thornback ray Raja clavata5 sources
- Dab Limanda limanda4 sources
- European flounder Platichthys flesus4 sources
- Greenland shark Somniosus microcephalus4 sources
- Common tern Sterna hirundo16 sources
- Thornback Amblyraja radiata6 sources
Each pair is recorded by at least two independent datasets. A record shows the animal was seen or found to have eaten the other, including scavenged carcasses and young animals; it does not say how often. Compiled by Global Biotic Interactions (CC0 1.0).
References for these records
- Globi
- Pinnegar, J. K., Trenkel, V. M., Tidd, A. N., Dawson, W. A. and Du Buit, M. H. 2003. Does diet in Celtic Sea fishes reflect prey availability? Journal of Fish Biology 63(Supplement A): 197-212.
- FishBase
- Jacob et al. (2015)
- Pinnegar, J.K. (2014). DAPSTOM - An Integrated Database & Portal for Fish Stomach Records. Version 4.7. Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft, UK. February 2014, 39pp.
- Pinnegar, J.K. (2014). DAPSTOM - An Integrated Database & Portal for Fish Stomach Records. Version 4.7. Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft, UK. February 2014, 39pp. Accessed at <https://www.cefas.co.uk/umbraco/CefasPlugins/DapstomSurface/Download?searchType=predator&s
- Boldovski, G.V. 1941. Food and feeding of the Barerits Sea herrings Tr. PINRO,7:219-286. (In Russian).
- Pinnegar, J.K. (2014). DAPSTOM - An Integrated Database & Portal for Fish Stomach Records. Version 4.7. Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft, UK. February 2014, 39pp. Accessed at <https://www.cefas.co.uk/umbraco/CefasPlugins/DapstomSurface/Download?searchType=predator&s
- Moura, T., Figueiredo, I., Bordalo-Machado, P., and Gordo, L. S. 2005. Feeding habits of Chimaera monstrosa L (Chimaeridae) in relation to its ontogenetic development on the southern Portuguese continental slope. Marine Biology Research, 1: 118-126.
- Desilva, S. S. 1973. Food and feeding habits of herring, Clupea harengus and sprat C. sprattus in inshore waters of west coast of Scotland. Marine Biology, 20: 282-290.
- Prokopchuk, I., and Sentyabov, E. 2006. Diets of herring, mackerel, and blue whiting in the Norwegian Sea in relation to Calanus finmarchicus distribution and temperature conditions. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 63: 117-127.
- Dolgov A.V. 2002. The role of capelin (Mallotus villosus) in the foodweb of the Barents Sea. ICES Journal of Marine Science. 59: 1034-1045
Photos of the Atlantic herring
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the Atlantic herring live?
Not recorded
What is the Atlantic herring?
Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) 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 northern 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.
The Atlantic herring fishery has long been an important part of the economy of New England and the Atlantic provinces of Canada. This is because the fish congregate relatively near to the coast in massive schools, notably in the cold waters of the semi-enclosed Gulf of Maine and Gulf of St. Lawrence. North Atlantic herring schools have been measured up to 4 cubic kilometres (0.96 cu mi) in size, containing an estimated four billion fish.
From the Wikipedia article “Atlantic herring” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Atlantic_herring&oldid=1383548664), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the Atlantic herring endangered?
The Atlantic herring is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the Atlantic herring classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderClupeiformes
- familyClupeidae
- genusClupea
- SpeciesClupea harengus Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms Clupea alba, Clupea atlanticus, Clupea borealis, Clupea britannicus, Clupea caledonicus, Clupea cimbricus, Clupea elongata, Clupea frisius, Clupea halec, Clupea harengula, Clupea harengus atlanticus, Clupea harengus borealis, Clupea harengus britannicus, Clupea harengus caledonicus, Clupea harengus cimbricus, Clupea harengus frisius, Clupea harengus harengus, Clupea harengus islandicus, Clupea harengus ivernicus, Clupea harengus membras, Clupea harengus membras, Clupea harengus natio murmanica, Clupea harengus norvegicus, Clupea harengus norvegivus, Clupea harengus scandicus, Clupea harengus schelderensis, Clupea harengus scoticus, Clupea harengus septemtrionalis, Clupea islandicus, Clupea ivernicus, Clupea leachii, Clupea membras, Clupea minima, Clupea norvegivus, Clupea palassi probatowi, Clupea scandicus, Clupea scoticus, Clupea septemtrionalis, Cyprinus esca, Rogenia alba
Other names and names in other languages (203)
- Baltic herringEnglish
- Bank herringEnglish
- Bank herringEnglish
- Bismark herringEnglish
- Bismark herringEnglish
- BloaterEnglish
- BloaterEnglish
- Cleanplate herringEnglish
- Cleanplate herringEnglish
- Cut spiced herringEnglish
- Cut spiced herringEnglish
- Fall herringEnglish
- Fall herringEnglish
- Golden cureEnglish
- Golden cureEnglish
- HafsíldEnglish
- HernEnglish
- HernEnglish
- HerningEnglish
- HerningEnglish
- HerringEnglish
- HerringEnglish
- HerringEnglish
- HerronEnglish
- HerronEnglish
- KipperEnglish
- KipperEnglish
- Kipper herringEnglish
- Kipper herringEnglish
- Klondyked herringEnglish
- Klondyked herringEnglish
- Labrador herringEnglish
- Labrador herringEnglish
- Matje cured herringEnglish
- Matje cured herringEnglish
- MattieEnglish
- MattieEnglish
- Mediterranean cureEnglish
- Mediterranean cureEnglish
- MelkerEnglish
- MelkerEnglish
- Mesh herringEnglish
- Mesh herringEnglish
- Milker herringEnglish
- Milker herringEnglish
- Murman herringEnglish
- Murman herringEnglish
- Mustard herringEnglish
- Mustard herringEnglish
- Newcastle KipperEnglish
- Newcastle KipperEnglish
- Norwegian cured herringEnglish
- Norwegian cured herringEnglish
- Norwegian herringEnglish
- Norwegian herringEnglish
- Norwegian MilkerEnglish
- Norwegian MilkerEnglish
- Norwegian silver herringEnglish
- Norwegian silver herringEnglish
- Norwegian sloeEnglish
- Norwegian sloeEnglish
- Oriental cureEnglish
- Oriental cureEnglish
- Pearl EssenceEnglish
- Pearl EssenceEnglish
- Pickled herringEnglish
- Pickled herringEnglish
- PicklingEnglish
- PicklingEnglish
- ProtestantEnglish
- ProtestantEnglish
- Red herringEnglish
- Red herringEnglish
- Sea Atlantic herringEnglish
- Sea Atlantic herringEnglish
- Sea herringEnglish
- Sea herringEnglish
- Sea stickEnglish
- Sea stickEnglish
- Shore herringEnglish
- Shore herringEnglish
- SildEnglish
- Silver cured herringEnglish
- Silver cured herringEnglish
- Soused herringEnglish
- Soused herringEnglish
- SplitEnglish
- SplitEnglish
- Split cure herringEnglish
- Split cure herringEnglish
- Spring herringEnglish
- Spring herringEnglish
- Sugar cured fishEnglish
- Sugar cured fishEnglish
- Summer herringEnglish
- Summer herringEnglish
- WhitebaitEnglish
- WhitebaitEnglish
- YawlingEnglish
- YawlingEnglish
- ArengueAragonese
- Атлантическа херингаBulgarian
- harinkBreton
- ArengCatalan
- sleď obecnýCzech
- Slanecek obecnýCzech
- Sled atlantickýCzech
- pennogWelsh
- PenwaigWelsh
- ysgadenynWelsh
- sildDanish
- Atlantisk sildDanish
- AllecGerman
- Atlantischer HeringGerman
- HeringGerman
- OstseeheringGerman
- SillingGerman
- StömlingGerman
- ΡέγγαGreek
- arenqueSpanish
- Arenque del AtlánticoSpanish
- Arenque del Atlántico NorteSpanish
- Escabeche FritoSpanish
- RäimEstonian
- Atlandi heeringasEstonian
- Harilik heeringasEstonian
- Läänemere heeringasEstonian
- شاهماهیPersian
- silliFinnish
- silakkaFinnish
- harengFrench
- GendarmeFrench
- hareng atlantiqueFrench
- hareng de l'AtlantiqueFrench
- Hareng SaurFrench
- scadánIrish
- An scadánIrish
- SgadanScottish Gaelic
- Atlantska haringaCroatian
- Ատլանտյան տառեխArmenian
- Haring AtlantikIndonesian
- HaringoIdo
- KapisilikInuktitut
- KavisilakInuktitut
- síldIcelandic
- aringaItalian
- タイセイヨウニシンJapanese
- AmmassassuaaKalaallisut
- angmagssagssuaqKalaallisut
- Atlanteschen HierkLuxembourgish
- Atlantinė silkėLithuanian
- StrimelėLithuanian
- ReņģeLatvian
- siļķeLatvian
- sildNorwegian Bokmål
- bladsildNorwegian Bokmål
- feitsildNorwegian Bokmål
- mussaNorwegian Bokmål
- HerenLow German
- bliekDutch
- haringDutch
- ToterDutch
- sildNorwegian Nynorsk
- sildNorwegian
- HéringPicard
- sledzPolish
- śledźPolish
- Śledź atlantyckiPolish
- śledź oceanicznyPolish
- Śledź pospolityPolish
- SyleckePrussian
- Sel'dRussian
- Атлантическая сельдьRussian
- Сельдь атлантическаяRussian
- залом полярныйRussian
- сельдь многопозвонковаяRussian
- сельдь атлантическо-скандинавскаяRussian
- Atlanticheskaya sel'dRussian
- Murmanskaya sel'dRussian
- Norvezhskaya sel'dRussian
- SalakaRussian
- sel'd'Russian
- Sel'd' obyknovennayaRussian
- AregnaSicilian
- NunScots
- FillingScots
- FullScots
- HaizyScots
- HalflinScots
- PeeoScots
- ShaldooScots
- Wine drinkerScots
- YaulinScots
- sildiNorthern Sami
- sallitNorthern Sami
- sillSwedish
- StrömlingSwedish
- strömmingSwedish
- RingaTurkish
- Ringa balığıTurkish
- Оселедець атлантичнийUkrainian
- RengaVenetian
- 大西洋鯡Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the Atlantic herring
Other species in the same genus Clupea.
CompareAtlantic herring vs Pacific herringAtlantic herring vs Clupea manulensisAtlantic herring vs Clupea simaAtlantic herring vs Clupea tropica
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the Atlantic herring?
The Atlantic herring is a bony fish in the family Clupeidae and the order Clupeiformes.
What is the scientific name of the Atlantic herring?
Its scientific name is Clupea harengus, placed in the genus Clupea.
Who named the Atlantic herring and when?
The scientific name Clupea harengus is credited to Linnaeus, 1758.
Is the Atlantic herring endangered?
No. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
What other names does the Atlantic herring have?
Other English names for the Atlantic herring are Hern, Sild, Split, Melker and Herron.
What eats the Atlantic herring?
Animals recorded preying on the Atlantic herring include merlangius, saithe, atlantic cod and spiny dogfish. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.
Which animals does the Atlantic herring eat?
Animals recorded as prey of the Atlantic herring include norway pout, european sprat, sand shrimp and themisto abyssorum. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI): interpreted data products · CC0 1.0 · 0.11
Poelen, J.H., Simons, J.D. & Mungall, C.J. (2014) Global Biotic Interactions: an open infrastructure to share and analyze species-interaction datasets. Ecological Informatics 24: 148–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2014.08.005. Data: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22691479, with each record's original reference. - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/atlantic-herring
“Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/atlantic-herring.
@misc{atlantic_herring_2026,
title = {Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/atlantic-herring},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}