Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus)

Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus) – a schooling and pelagic sea fish of Clupeidaefamily. The body length is 36–42 cm. Occurs in the Barents Sea (up to Spitsbergen and Novaya Zemlya) with small numbers of A. found in the Baltic Sea. A.H. matures when 4–6 years of age. A.H. spawns during March–April off Norway’s northwestern shores at the depths of 300–250 m at the temperature of 4–6 °C. Benthic, sticky eggs are laid onto the sandy ground or onto the shell rock. The breeding performance is 14–23.6 thousand eggs. The larvae drift northeastwards spreading across the Barents Sea. On reaching 4 years of age, they begin to migrate back westwards into the Norwegian Sea. Following the spawning the herring battens to the east and north of the spawning sites. Certain age groups feed on their own. The young feed on the larval stage crustaceans, shellfish, and planktonic seaweeds while the fully grown species feed on the fully grown crabs and young fish. The life time is up to 20 years and...