# Atlantic herring (*Clupea harengus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/atlantic-herring  
Data as of: 2026-11-14

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. 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.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | up to 1.1 kg |
| Length | up to 45 cm |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | marine |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Recorded prey and predators

Recorded prey: Norway pout (*Trisopterus esmarkii*), European sprat (*Sprattus sprattus*), Sand shrimp (*Crangon crangon*), Themisto abyssorum (*Themisto abyssorum*), Calanus finmarchicus (*Calanus finmarchicus*), Nordic krill (*Meganyctiphanes norvegica*), Calanus hyperboreus (*Calanus hyperboreus*), Thysanoessa longicaudata (*Thysanoessa longicaudata*), Pseudocalanus elongatus (*Pseudocalanus elongatus*), Temora longicornis (*Temora longicornis*), Evadne nordmanni (*Evadne nordmanni*), Retrovert pteropod (*Limacina retroversa*). Recorded predators: Merlangius (*Merlangius merlangus*), Saithe (*Pollachius virens*), Atlantic cod (*Gadus morhua*), Spiny dogfish (*Squalus acanthias*), Hake (*Merluccius merluccius*), Monk (*Lophius piscatorius*), Atlantic mackerel (*Scomber scombrus*), Guffy (*Myoxocephalus scorpius*), Atlantic horse mackerel (*Trachurus trachurus*), Grey gurnard (*Eutrigla gurnardus*), John dory (*Zeus faber*), Dab (*Hippoglossoides platessoides*). Each pair is recorded by at least two datasets compiled by Global Biotic Interactions (https://www.globalbioticinteractions.org/, CC0 1.0).

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Teleostei
- order: Clupeiformes
- family: Clupeidae
- genus: Clupea
- species: *Clupea 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*

## Common questions

### 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

- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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](https://www.globalbioticinteractions.org/), 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](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/atlantic-herring