scaled herring
Harengula jaguana
Menhaden of coastal and estuarine schools, from the eastern United States to southern Brazil. It is fished on a small scale and goes to market fresh or canned.
Also called: savelha-cascuda, sardina jaguana, sardineta jaguana, cascarua, scaled herring
- maximum
- 21 cm
- depth
- 1–5 m
who is the scaled herring
Sardine of the family Dorosomatidae, which forms schools in coastal waters over mud and sand bottoms, often near estuaries and brackish or hypersaline lagoons. It reaches 21 cm, and the common size is around 12 cm. It usually lives at 1 to 5 m depth and can go down to 22 m. It goes to market fresh or canned. It is often confused with Harengula clupeola, with which it shares nearly its whole range.
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 scaled herring; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- Juveniles enter Guanabara Bay in May and leave in December or March, when they measure 7.5 to 8 cm.
identification
Slender silvery body with a deep belly: the lower profile is much more curved than the upper. It has no orange or red spot on the edge of the gill cover, and the dorsal-fin tip is not dark. To tell it apart from Harengula clupeola, which lives alongside it and looks similar, look at the belly and the spot: clupeola has a yellow or orange spot on the gill cover and a slimmer belly.
Loading the next 7 days…
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 ranges from Brazil to Argentina and Uruguay, and also to the Caribbean, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela, in coastal waters and estuaries.
Habitat: Shallow coastal waters and estuaries, from 1 to 5 m, over mud and sand bottoms.
coast
rules for the scaled 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 or at market. If returned, release it promptly.
in the kitchen
It goes to market fresh or canned, on a small scale.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00871, 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 jaguana (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 jaguanaNames 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.
