Page 346 - (DK) Ocean - The Definitive Visual Guide

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ORDER CLUPEIFORMES Atlantic. Along the East Anglian coast
of Great Britain, the fish were known
Atlantic Herring as silver darlings. In the 20th century,
excessive fishing using new techniques
Clupea harengus led to a steep decline in stocks. Today,
LENGTH the stocks are managed, but they are
Up to 18 in (45 cm) still under pressure.
WEIGHT The Atlantic herring feeds on
Up to 2 1 / 4 lb (1 kg) plankton, coming to the surface at
DEPTH night after spending the day in deeper
0–650 ft (0–200 m) water. It lives in large shoals, and across
DISTRIBUTION North Atlantic, North Sea, and its range the species is divided into
Baltic Sea distinct local races, which differ from
each other in size and behavior. Each
Until the middle of the 20th century, race has several traditional spawning
the Atlantic herring was the mainstay grounds. The females produce up to
of many fishing communities 40,000 eggs each, which form a thick
bordering the North Sea and north mat on the seabed.

ORDER CLUPEIFORMES The distribution of this tiny, silvery ORDER GONORYNCHIFORMES The milkfish is an elegant silvery fish
relative of the herring depends on the with a streamlined body and a large,
Peruvian Anchoveta yearly extent of the Peruvian Current. Milkfish deeply forked tail. It is an important
This cold, deep current comes to the food fish in much of Southeast Asia
Engraulis ringens surface along the west coast of South Chanos chanos and is extensively farmed. It feeds on
LENGTH America, bringing rich supplies of LENGTH plankton, soft algae, cyanobacteria, and
Up to 8 in (20 cm) nutrients with it. Enormous shoals Up to 6 ft (1.8 m) small invertebrates. It is easy to keep
WEIGHT of anchoveta feed on the plankton WEIGHT in captivity as it is able to tolerate a
Up to 1 oz (25 g) blooms triggered by the increase in Up to 31 lb (14 kg) wide range of salinity. Mature fish
DEPTH nutrients. The fish shoal within about DEPTH spawn in the sea, and the eggs and
10–260 ft (3–80 m) 50 miles (80 km) of the coast, and 0–100 ft (0–30 m) larvae drift inshore. Juveniles swim
DISTRIBUTION West coast of South America and many local people depend on them, DISTRIBUTION Tropical and subtropical waters of into estuaries and mangroves, where
southeastern Pacific as do many birds, including pelicans. Indian and Pacific oceans there are fewer predators, returning
to the sea as they mature.

ORDER CLUPEIFORMES
South American
Pilchard

Sardinops sagax
LENGTH
Up to 16 in (40 cm)
WEIGHT
Up to 17 1 / 2 oz (485 g)
DEPTH Pilchards are an important food fish
0–650 ft (0–200 m)
and are also used to produce oil and
DISTRIBUTION West coast of South America and fish meal. The South American pilchard
southeastern Pacific
may, in fact, be the same species as the
California pilchard, and, worldwide,
Enormous shoals of these fish, made all pilchard species are very similar.
up of millions of individuals, were These silvery, medium-sized fish are
once found, but excessive fishing has blue-green on the back and have a
reduced their numbers greatly. series of black marks along the sides.

The Allis shad is a silvery fish
ORDER CLUPEIFORMES
belonging to the herring family
Allis Shad (Clupeidae) and is one of the few that
enter fresh water. During April and
May, mature adults migrate into rivers
Alosa alosa
LENGTH to spawn, swimming up to 500 miles
Up to 33 in (83 cm) (800 km) upstream. In some parts
WEIGHT of its range, the species is known as
Up to 9 lb (4 kg) the May fish. Its streamlined body
DEPTH is covered by large circular scales that
0–16 ft (0–5 m) form a keel under the belly, and it has
DISTRIBUTION Temperate waters of northeastern a single dorsal fin. It is now very rare
Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea over much of its range.

OCEAN LIFE