Pacific menhaden (Ethmidium maculatum)

Scientific name: Ethmidium maculatum Valenciennes, 1847

Pacific menhaden (Ethmidium maculatum)

The Pacific menhaden (Ethmidium maculatum) is a marine fish of the family Clupeidae.

Biology

Occurs in coastal waters, forming large schools. Feeds by filtering phytoplankton (diatoms) and zooplankton (especially copepods), but will also take small fishes and crustaceans. Breeds in spring (Chile), depositing its eggs in coastal waters on sand, to which the sticky eggs cling, the larvae rising and joining the surface plankton on hatching. Marketed fresh, frozen, or canned.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Ethmidium maculatum
Family
Clupeidae (Herrings, shads and sardines)
Order
Clupeiformes (Herrings)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
26.0
Depth range
0–50 m (0–164 ft)
Environment
Marine; pelagic-neritic; depth range 0 - 50 m
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Southwest Pacific: Peru (Puerto Pizarro in Gulf of Guayaquil to Callao and Pisco Bay; presumably to border with Chile, but no records) and Chile (whole coast south to Talcahuano).
Conservation status (IUCN)
Data deficient (DD)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Assuming tm=1)

Sources

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

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