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Artwork: Joann Wheeler 1999 |
Fast
Fact:
Very similar to the alewife. Once a
thriving commercial species, blueback herring is now threatened by dams, destroyed
spawning habitat, and overfishing.
|
| Distribution |
Coastal: Nova Scotia to Florida.
Chesapeake Bay: Throughout the bay and its tributaries. |
| Description |
Eye diameter less than or equal to snout length; dorsum deep bluish green, peritoneum
black to dusky, one dusky spot present on shoulder; body and abdomen compressed; very
similar to alewife. |
| Max. size |
15 inches. |
| Food preference |
Plankton, insects, small fishes, fish eggs. |
| Spawning location |
Swift flowing, deep stretches of rivers and streams. |
| Spawning period |
Late spring (April-May), repeat spawning runs, return to same river to spawn. |
| Egg type |
Demersal, semi-adhesive, semi-transparent, and yellowish. |
| Additional Information |
 or Juvenile
Fish Index |
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