Atlantic herring
Scientific name: Clupea harengus Linnaeus, 1758
Overview
Atlantic herring 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.
From the Wikipedia article “Atlantic herring”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Least concern on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.2.
Where it lives
Common names
Also known in English as Bank Herring, Bismark Herring, Bloater, Cleanplate Herring, Cut spiced Herring, Fall Herring, Golden Cure, hafsíld, Hern, Herning, herring, Herron.
Names in other languages (13)
- Arabic
- رنكة أطلسية
- Bengali
- আটলান্টিক হেরিং
- Chinese
- 大西洋鲱
- French
- Gendarme, hareng, hareng atlantique, hareng de l'Atlantique, Hareng Saur
- German
- Atlantischer Hering, Hering
- Hindi
- हेरिंग साटन
- Indonesian
- Haring atlantik
- Japanese
- タイセイヨウニシン
- Persian
- شاهماهی اطلسی
- Portuguese
- arenque-do-atlântico
- Russian
- sel'd', атлантическая сельдь
- Spanish
- arenque, Arenque del Atlántico, Escabeche Frito
- Turkish
- Baltık ringası
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: FishBase.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, names in other languages. Q2396858, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Atlantic herring”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — zakqaryroy, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — Kils at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026