Herring

There are two types of commercially important herring.

The Pacific herring, Clupea pallasii, is a species of the herring family associated with the Pacific Ocean environment of North America and northeast Asia. It is a silvery fish with unspun fins and a deeply forked caudal fin. The distribution is widely along the California coast from Baja California north to Alaska and the Bering Sea; Pacific herring spawn in variable seasons, but often in the early part of the year in intertidal and sub-tidal environments, commonly on eelgrass, seaweed, or other submerged vegetation; however, they do not die after spawning, but can breed in successive years. 

Pacific herring have a bluish-green back and silver-white sides and bellies; they are otherwise unmarked. The silvery color derives from guanine crystals embedded in their laterals, leading to an effective camouflage phenomenon. There is a single dorsal fin located mid-body and a deeply forked tail-fin. Their bodies are compressed laterally, and ventral scales protrude in a somewhat serrated fashion. Unlike other genus members, they have no scales on heads or gills. Moreover, their scales are large and easy to extract. The fish interior is quite bony with oily flesh.

 
Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) 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 Atlantic Ocean, congregating in large schools. They can grow up to 45 cm in length and weigh up to 1.1 kilograms. They feed on copepods, krill, and small fish, while their natural predators are seals, whales, cod, and other larger fish.

Atlantic herring have a fusiform body. Gill rakers in their mouths filter incoming water, trapping any zooplankton and phytoplankton. Atlantic herring are in general fragile. They have large and delicate gill surfaces, and contact with foreign matter can strip away their large scales.

Herring is perhaps the oldest staple food of Europe and is still important to date. The meat is delicate yet distinctive in taste. It is rich in omega 3 acids. It is very popular in Asia, Africa, and European markets.