Scaled herring (Harengula jaguana)

Scientific name: Harengula jaguana Poey, 1865

The Scaled herring (Harengula jaguana) is a brackish-water fish of the family Clupeidae.

Biology

Occurs in coastal waters, over mud sand bottoms and frequently near brackish or hyper-saline estuaries. Forms schools. Marketed fresh or canned.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Scientific name: Harengula jaguana
Family: Clupeidae (Herrings, shads and sardines)
Order: Clupeiformes (Herrings)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 21.2
Common length: 12.0
Depth range: 22 m (72 ft)
Environment: Marine; brackish; reef-associated; depth range ? - 22 m, usually 1 - 5 m
Climate: Tropical
Distribution: Western Atlantic: New Jersey, USA and Bermuda southward to Florida (USA), Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and southern Brazil. Often confused with Harengula clupeola with which it co-occurs over most of its range.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: minor commercial
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.48-0.60; tmax=3; Fec=5,000)

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

Last updated 27 September 2026