Herring

Template:Taxobox begin Template:Taxobox image Template:Taxobox begin placement Template:Taxobox regnum entry Template:Taxobox phylum entry Template:Taxobox subphylum entry Template:Taxobox classis entry Template:Taxobox superordo entry Template:Taxobox ordo entry
Template:Taxobox authority new Template:Taxobox end placement Template:Taxobox section subdivision

• Clupeidae

The herring is a type of small oily fish found in the temperate, shallow waters of the North Atlantic. A smaller variant called the baltic herring lives in the Baltic Sea.

The herring is comprised of nearly 200 species that are grouped together under the genus Clupea the most abundant of which is the Atlantic herring (English herring) (Clupea harengus). Herrings move in vast schools (swarm), coming in spring to the shores of Europe and America, where they are caught, salted and smoked in great quantities.

A study conducted in 2003 at the University of British Columbia suggests that herrings might communicate by farting. [1] [2]. This study won the Ig Nobel Prize in 2004.

Morphology

All of the nearly 200 species of herring in the family clupeidae share similar distinguishing features. They are silvery coloured fish that have a single dorsal fin and unlike most other fish they have soft fins that lack spines although some species do have pointed scales that form a serated keel. They have no lateral line and also have a protruding lower jaw somewhat like a bulldogs. Their overall size can vary greatly from species to species, the Atlantic herring for example can grow to approximatley 18 inches in length and weigh upto 1.5 pounds as compared to the Tropical Tarpon (Tarpon Atlanticus) which can grow to a length of 80 inches (approx 8 feet) and weigh upto 200 pounds.

Cuisine

Herring have been a staple food source, especially for northern Europeans, back to 3000 B.C.E. There are numerous ways the fish is served and many regional recipes.

Herrings can be eaten raw, fermented, pickled (See Pickled herring) or cured by other techniques. A rollmop is a cured herring fillet, rolled up and preserved in vinegar which is flavoured with onions and spices.

A kipper is a split and smoked herring, and a bloater is a whole smoked herring. Both are staples of British cuisine.

A typical Dutch delicacy is raw herring (actually enzyme-cured) with raw shredded onions. To stop parasites, the herring has to be deep-frozen before the curing process.

In Sweden, Baltic herring is fermented to make surströmming. Herring soup is also a traditional soup and in Germany, North Sea herring is pickled to make Matjes, or soused herring.

Herring is also canned and exported by many countries. A sild is an immature herring that are canned as sardines in Norway.

Very young herring are called whitebait and are eaten whole as a delicacy.

Herring lore

Figuratively, a red herring is a false lead in a mystery. In this context, red means smoked, and a smoked herring has such a strong smell that it can be used to create a false scent that causes hunting dogs to lose a trail.

File:Fischool2.jpg

Fish school of herrings.

Here are videos of feeding juveniile herring, catching copepods: Atlantic herring.

See also

Underwater video (looping) of a school of Atlantic herring Clupea harengus on its migration to their spawning grounds in the Baltic.