290 Alewife 



Blueback does not usually go above the brackish water to 

 lay its eggs. The young when about 2 inches long find 

 their way to the sea, where they remain until mature. 

 Economic Importance: This species is not as abundant as 

 the alewife. It is frequently sold mixed with other kinds 

 of herrings. 



Alewife 

 Pomolobus pseudoharengus (Wilson) 



Color: Back gray-green; sides and belly silver. A dark spot 

 behind the gill. Faint horizontal stripes on sides. 

 Distribution: Northern Nova Scotia to North Carolina. 

 Races of this fish have become landlocked in certain fresh- 

 water lakes, including Lake Ontario and New York's 

 Finger Lakes. 



Size: Reaches a length of about 15 inches and a weight of 

 14 ounces. 



General Information: The Alewife spends most of its life 

 in the sea, but 3-4 years after birth it matures and in the 

 spring enters the coastal rivers and streams and swims up 

 into fresh water to spawn. Often the stream selected for 

 spawning is the one in which the fish was born. Over 

 100,000 eggs may be laid by a single fish. Soon after 

 hatching, when slightly over Vi inch in length, the young 

 start moving to the sea, where they remain until adult 

 size, entering the rivers and streams only to spawn. The 

 Alewife feeds mostly on plankton, including small shrimp- 

 and crab-like forms and small fish. 



Economic Importance: The Alewife is of major impor- 

 tance in the pound net fishery of Chesapeake Bay. Some 

 of the fish are eaten when fresh, but the bulk is salted or 

 canned and sold as "river herring." The scales are a 



