Blue Back Herring
Description
To 15". Elongate, strongly compressed, ventral profile more convex then dorsal,, depth less than one-quarter length. Back iridescent grayish-Blue sides, belly silvery, humeral spot dusky. Head less than one-fifth length; eye large, diameter greater than length of snout; mouth oblique, upper jaw deeply notched; maxilla wide, reaches middle of eye. Dorsal fin origin just before pelvic fin insertion, last dorsal ray not elongate.
Habitat
Bays, estuaries, and fresh water.
Similar Species
Alewife
Comments
Like the other members of the herring family, the blueback is a slab-sided, silvery species with a small, terminal mouth. It differs from the other herrings in having a black peritoneum (abdominal lining) and a darker, more slender body. A weight of almost 1lb. and a length of about 15 inches have been reported. The blueback is found along the Atlantic coast from Maine to Florida, being more common in the southern parts of its range. Like the other species of the genus Alosa, it ascends tributaries in the spring for spawning. The young feed on plankton; the adults eat fishes and small crustaceans. The blueback is not particularly important commercially, most of the catch being reported in the catch for the alewife. The flesh has little value commercially.
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