Critter Catalog

The fish family that includes herrings, shads, sardines, and menhadens is a large, global family with 216 species. Most species are tropical and almost all species in this family are found in oceans, although some are found in freshwater as well. Fish in this family are small to medium-sized, from 2 to 75 cm long. They generally have torpedo shaped bodies that are strongly “compressed,” or flattened. Fish in this family are strong and fast swimmers and generally travel in large schools, they typically feed on plankton. They are some of the most important commercially fished species in the world, many people and industries around the world rely on these fish for their livelihoods and for food.