Home/Species/ Pacific Herring

Clupea pallasii

Valenciennes, 1847

Pacific Herring

G5Secure Found in 29 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Data deficientIUCN

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.105816

Element CodeAFCFA07030

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVertebrate Animal

IUCNData deficient

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomAnimalia

PhylumCraniata

ClassActinopterygii

OrderClupeiformes

FamilyClupeidae

GenusClupea

Synonyms

Clupea harengus pallasiValenciennes, 1847Clupea pallasiValenciennes, 1847

Other Common Names

Hareng du Pacifique (FR) Pacific herring (EN)

Concept Reference

Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.

Taxonomic Comments

Formerly regarded as conspecific with the Atlantic herring, C. harengus. Based on a study of biochemical genetics, Grant (1986) recognized harengus and pallasi as distinct species, an action followed in the 1991 AFS checklist (Robins et al. 1991).

Conservation Status

Rank MethodExpertise without calculation

Review Date2017-12-22

Change Date2017-12-22

Edition Date2009-11-13

Range Extent Comments

Range encompasses coastal areas of the North Pacific Ocean from northern Baja California to the Beaufort Sea, and south in the western Pacific to Japan and Korea; also Arctic coast of Eurasia from the Chukchi Sea to the White Sea.

Ecology & Habitat

Description

Pacific herrings have a compressed body, blue-green to olive back, silvery belly, one short dorsal fin in the middle of the back, no spines in the fins, a deeply forked tail, no adipose fin, no black spots on the sides, no striations on the gill covers, and weak belly scutes that are not strongly keeled. The pelvic fin is directly under the dorsal fin. Maximum length is about 1.5 feet (46 cm).

Habitat

Pacific herrings live in coastal waters and often occur offshore. Adults move toward shore and enter bays and estuaries prior to spawning. Eggs are sticky and adhere to eelgrass, kelp, and other objects. Juveniles congregate in bays, inlets, and channels in summer. In fall, they move to deeper water and remain there until the mature about 2-3 years later.

Reproduction

In California, the spawning season extends from November to June (mainly winter). In Alaska, spawning occurs March-June, although the season may be shorter than this in a particular location. In large mass spawnings the water often appears milky over the entire spawning area due to the presence of abundant milt. Eggs hatch in 1-2 weeks, depending on the temperature.

Other Nations (2)

United StatesN5

Province	Rank	Native
Alaska	SNR	Yes
Oregon	S4	Yes
California	SNR	Yes
Washington	SNR	Yes

CanadaN5

Province	Rank	Native
Northwest Territories	SU	Yes
Nunavut	SU	Yes
British Columbia	SNR	Yes

Roadless Areas (29)

Alaska (29)

Area	Forest	Acres
Behm Islands	Tongass National Forest	4,777
Chilkat-West Lynn Canal	Tongass National Forest	199,772
Christoval	Tongass National Forest	9,129
Chugach-12	Chugach National Forest	8,116
Chugach-13	Chugach National Forest	13,337
College Fiord	Chugach National Forest	1,130,818
Copper River Wetlands	Chugach National Forest	85,972
Eudora	Tongass National Forest	195,022
Fanshaw	Tongass National Forest	48,248
Fidalgo-Gravina	Chugach National Forest	257,968
Gravina	Tongass National Forest	37,381
Juneau Urban	Tongass National Forest	101,581
Karta	Tongass National Forest	52,117
Keku	Tongass National Forest	10,869
Lindenberg	Tongass National Forest	25,855
Mansfield Peninsula	Tongass National Forest	54,991
North Baranof	Tongass National Forest	314,089
North Kruzof	Tongass National Forest	33,146
North Kupreanof	Tongass National Forest	114,660
North Revilla	Tongass National Forest	215,430
Port Alexander	Tongass National Forest	120,681
Redoubt	Tongass National Forest	68,347
Revilla	Tongass National Forest	29,298
Sheridan Glacier	Chugach National Forest	224,683
Sitka Sound	Tongass National Forest	13,459
Sitka Urban	Tongass National Forest	112,003
South Kruzof	Tongass National Forest	55,193
Tenakee Ridge	Tongass National Forest	20,527
Windham-Port Houghton	Tongass National Forest	161,952

References (6)

Grant, W.S. 1986. Biochemical genetic divergence between Atlantic, <i>Clupea harengus</i>, and Pacific, <i>C. pallasi</i>, herring. Copeia 1986(3): 714-719.
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). 3 April 2001. Puget Sound populations of copper rockfish, quillback rockfish, brown rockfish, and Pacific herring. Federal Register 66(64):17659-17668.
Nelson, J. S., E. J. Crossman, H. Espinosa-Perez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, and J. D. Williams. 2004. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 29, Bethesda, Maryland. 386 pp.
Page, L. M., H. Espinosa-Pérez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, R. L. Mayden, and J. S. Nelson. 2013. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Seventh edition. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 34, Bethesda, Maryland.
Page, L. M., K. E. Bemis, T. E. Dowling, H.S. Espinosa-Pérez, L.T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, K. E. Hartel, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, M. A. Neigbors, J. J. Schmitter-Soto, and H. J. Walker, Jr. 2023. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Eighth edition. American Fisheries Society (AFS), Special Publication 37, Bethesda, Maryland, 439 pp.
Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.