false herring
Harengula clupeola
Schooling sardine of coastal waters and estuaries, from the Gulf of Mexico to Brazil, used as bait and for fishmeal. Its flesh has an unpleasant smell.
Also called: sardinha-falsa, carapachona, sardina escamuda, false herring, false pilchard
- maximum
- 31 cm
- record/max.
- 0.1 kg
- depth
- 0–50 m
who is the false herring
Sardine of the family Dorosomatidae, with a slender, elongated body, dark green back and silvery flanks. It forms schools in coastal waters, lagoons and estuaries. It reaches 31 cm and 109 g, and the common size is about 10 cm. It lives down to 50 m, and the small ones appear on sandy beaches. It occurs from the Gulf of Mexico and southeastern Florida to Brazil, including the Bahamas, the Caribbean and the Guianas. Its flesh has an unpleasant smell, so it is used as bait and in fishmeal.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the false herring; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- It tolerates a wide range of salinity, from the sea to estuarine water.
identification
Slender silvery body, with a slightly curved lower profile. It has a diffuse yellow or orange spot on the edge of the gill cover and no dark pigment at the tip of the dorsal fin. Harengula jaguana looks similar, but has a deeper belly and lacks the orange spot on the gill cover. Harengula humeralis has a dark dorsal-fin tip and a reddish spot behind the head.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
In Latin America, it occurs from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean to the Guianas and the Brazilian coast, in coastal waters and estuaries.
Habitat: Coastal waters, estuaries and lagoons, from 0 to 50 m, in schools.
coast
rules for the false herring
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Conservation: Not on the Brazilian national list (Ministerial Ordinance GM/MMA No. 1.667/2026).
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
No danger to the angler. As it is small, it usually ends up as bait: if returned, release it promptly, with wet hands.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00851, b = 3.07; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Harengula clupeola (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Harengula clupeolaNames by country and language.
- official Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667, de 27 de abril de 2026: Lista Nacional Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Ameaçadas de Extinção (peixes e invertebrados aquáticos)The species is not on the list. Checked in the DOU of April 28, 2026.
