The Alewife – Alosa pseudoharengus is a species of herring found in the western Atlantic Ocean, from the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to Florida. It is an anadromous fish, meaning it spends most of its life in saltwater but returns to freshwater rivers to spawn. The Alewife is a commercially important species, and it is also an important food source for many other fish and animals.
Description & Characteristics
The Alewife has a slender, fusiform body with a slightly compressed head. Its back is bluish-green, its sides are silvery, and its belly is white. It has a single dorsal fin and a forked tail fin. Alewives can reach a maximum size of 40.0 cm in length. They are typically found in depths ranging from 5.0 to 145.0 meters.
Habitat and Occurrence
The Alewife – Alosa pseudoharengus is an adaptable species that can tolerate a wide range of salinity levels. It is commonly found in brackish water, estuaries (river mouths), freshwater, intertidal zones, tidal zones, lagoons, port facilities, rivers, seawater, and the water column. This adaptability allows it to inhabit a variety of marine zones, including the neritic zone (the shallow water area extending from the shoreline to the edge of the continental shelf) and the epipelagic zone (the surface layer of the open ocean).
Taxonomy
The species Alewife – Alosa pseudoharengus belongs to the Class: Teleostei, Order: Clupeiformes, and Family: Alosidae. These are classifications that group fish based on shared characteristics, demonstrating the Alewife’s relationship to other fish species.
Feeding
The Alewife – Alosa pseudoharengus is a carnivorous fish with a varied diet. It primarily feeds on zooplankton, including copepods, amphipods, crustacean larvae, and mysids. It also consumes fish larvae, insects, isopods, ostracodes (seed shrimps), and diatoms. This diverse diet allows it to thrive in various aquatic environments where these food sources are abundant.
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