A tightly packed shoal of northern anchovies

Herrings and anchovies

Herrings, anchovies and their relatives are an order of fish that contains nearly 400 species. These fish are highly streamlined for fast swimming and often form huge shoals which makes many species commercially important for the fishing industry.

Scientific name: Clupeiformes

Rank: Order


The following habitats are found across the Herrings and anchovies distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.

Shallow seas Shallow seas
Shallow seas cover the continental shelves. These sunlit, or neritic, waters are where the oceans are most productive, where biomass is highest and where all the major sea fisheries of the world take their catches.



Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web