Similarities And Differences Among New York's Herring

Similiarities and differences among New York's herring species
Description	Habitat	Reproduction	Feeding	Fishing Information	Comments
American Shad
14-29" long Long upper jaw - tip extends beyond eye; lower & upper jaw meet when mouth closes Silvery iridescent with 4-6 black spots on sides Body cavity lining is silver with occasional small black spots	Anadromous; spends most of life in the ocean, returns to freshwater to spawn Habitat in ocean not known Found along Atlantic coast from Quebec to Florida	Spawns May - early June Moves into estuaries and spawns in main river above the salt front Eggs sink slightly, yet can move with the current Males mature at 3-5 years old, females 5-7	Eats small creatures floating in the water such as shrimp, zooplankton, insects and small fish	Popular sportfish in the Hudson and Delaware Rivers Best fishing is in late April and Man Cast or troll darts or spinners of small jigs Fly fishing is also successful	Extremely important commercial food fish along the Atlantic coast; valued for its meat and roe (eggs) Latin name sapidissima means "most delicious"
Alewife (ocean run)
10-14" long Deep body large eye Short upper jaw - does not extend beyond middle of eye; lower jaw juts out slightly when mouth is closed Silvery iridescent with one black spot on sides Body cavity is silver	Anadromous; spends most of life in ocean returns to freshwater to spawn Habitat in ocean not known Found along the Atlantic coast from Newfoundland to North Carolina	Spawns April-May Moves into estuaries to spawn along shore above the salt front Eggs sink slightly, yet can move with the current Males mature at 2-3 years old, females at 3-4	Feeds on zooplankton and insect larvae	Small size makes it popular for pickling Caught with scap nets along shore and in streams in April and May	Important commercial food fish; valued for its meat Sometimes called "graybacks" or "yellowbacks" or "golden shad" because of their color Often confused with the Atlantic herring
Blueback Herring
10-14" long Slender body Small eye Short upper jaw-does not extend beyond middle of eye; lower jaw juts out slightly when mouth is closed Silvery iridescent with one large black spot on side Body cavity lining is black	Anadromous: spends most of life in ocean, returns to freshwater to spawn Habitat is ocean is unknown Found along the Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia to Florida	Spawns May - early June Moves into estuaries and tributaries to spawn above the salt front (travels farther inland than other herring) Prefers to release eggs in moving water; eggs are sticky and attach to sticks and leaves	Feeds on zooplankton, insect larvae and larval fish	Small size make it popular for pickling Caught with scap nets along shore and in streams in April and May	Important commercial food fish; valued for its meat
Hickory Shad
12-15" long Slender body Long upper jaw - extends beyond middle of eye; lower jaw juts out when mouth is closed Silvery iridescent with one large black spot on sides Body cavity lining is silver	Anadromous: spends most of life in the ocean, returns to freshwater to spawn Habitat in ocean is unknown Found along the Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia to Florida; common in New England and the Chesapeake, but not in between	Little is know about the spawning habitats Thought to spawn May-early June Eggs float and easily move with the current	Feeds on small invertebrates such as squid, crabs and small fish	Caught only occasionally	Uncommon in New York State waters