Identification
A silvery body, blue-green back and keeled belly scales give it a familiar herring appearance. Blueback Herring and Alewife are difficult to separate externally. Alewife generally has larger eyes and a deeper body; the darker abdominal lining is an additional Blueback character. A common name or a distant photograph may not settle the identification.
Size and Weight
The published maximum standard length is 40 cm, approximately 15.7 inches, excluding the tail fin. The reported maximum weight is 200 g, about 7.1 ounces. These figures are separate reported values. Landlocked populations can remain smaller than coastal migrants.
Habitat and Natural Food
Coastal fish spend much of their lives at sea and use rivers for reproduction. Their food includes zooplankton, small shrimps and small fish. They in turn feed larger predators, including Striped Bass. Introduced reservoir populations should not be assumed to follow the same ocean migration.
Fishing and River Connections
Dams and other barriers can interrupt access to spawning habitat. River-herring fisheries and incidental catches are managed separately from the mere presence of the fish, so this profile does not establish permission to collect bait. Moving herring between waters can also change food webs and spread a species beyond its native range.
A Forage Fish That Crosses Habitats
Spring movement brings marine-grown fish into river systems. Young fish subsequently use freshwater and estuarine nursery habitat before moving seaward. Maintaining those connections matters to both the herring and the predators that depend on them.
All Lakes With Blueback Herring
Browse all lakes and reservoirs with confirmed Blueback Herring records in our database, listed alphabetically.
Showing 1–24 of 26 lakes · Page 1 of 2
- Buggs Island Lake (Kerr Reservoir) Mecklenburg, VA
- Carters Lake Gilmer, GA
- Chapmans Pond Lower Connecticut River Valley, CT
- Chickahominy Lake New Kent, VA
- Clarks Hill Lake Lincoln, GA
- Connecticut River Reservoir Capitol, CT
- Coonamessett Pond Barnstable, MA
- Diascund Reservoir James City, VA
- Great Herring Pond Plymouth, MA
- Hartwell Lake Stephens, GA
- Hinckleys Pond Barnstable, MA
- Lake Anna Louisa, VA
- Lake Burton Rabun, GA
- Lake Frederick Frederick, VA
- Lake Rabun Rabun, GA
- Lake Sidney Lanier Forsyth, GA
- Little Creek Reservoir James City, VA
- Long Pond Plymouth, MA
- Mashpee-Wakeby Pond Barnstable, MA
- Mill Pond Plymouth, MA
- Parksville Reservoir Polk, TN
- Pecausett Pond Lower Connecticut River Valley, CT
- Richard B Russell Lake Elbert, GA
- Seed Lake Rabun, GA