Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus)

Scientific name: Alosa pseudoharengus Wilson, 1811

Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus)

The Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) is a freshwater fish of the family Clupeidae.

Biology

Movement of schooling adults apparently restricted to coastal areas proximal to natal estuaries. They migrate up rivers and even small streams to spawn in lakes and quiet stretches of rivers, then return to sea shortly after spawning; landlocked populations also ascend affluent rivers and streams. Larvae remain in vicinity of spawning grounds, forming schools at sizes less than 10 mm TL, within one to two weeks after hatching, then descend in summer and autumn or even as late as November or December. Feed on shrimps and small fishes; the young on diatoms, copepods and ostracods while in rivers. Utilized fresh, dried or salted, smoked and frozen; eaten fried. Also used for crab and lobster bait and sometimes for pet food. Parasites found are Acanthocephala, cestodes, trematodes and copepods. Overfi

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Alosa pseudoharengus
Family
Clupeidae (Herrings, shads and sardines)
Order
Clupeiformes (Herrings)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
40.0
Common length
30.0
Depth range
5–145 m (16–476 ft)
Environment
Marine; freshwater; brackish; pelagic-neritic; anadromous; depth range 5 - 145 m, usually 56 - 110 m
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
North America: Atlantic coast from the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Nova Scotia to North Carolina and in streams and rivers; also occurs in Lake Seneca and Cayuga; introduced into Lake Ontario, now landlocked there and in Lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; bait: occasionally
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.2; tm=3.6; Fec=2,180)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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