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fishing forecast

striped herring

Lile stolifera · Dorosomatidae · forage fish

A small, silvery sardine that forms dense schools in beaches, lagoons and estuaries of the Pacific. It tolerates brackish and even fresh water.

Also called: sardinha-listrada, sardineta, pelada, sardina rayada, striped herring

Scientific illustration of Striped herring
maximum
16 cm
record/max.
0.0 kg
depth
0–50 m
location

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period

Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…

the species

everything about the striped herring

overview

who is the striped herring

A sardine of the family Dorosomatidae, with a slender, very compressed body and a keeled belly. It reaches 15.9 cm and 35 g, and its common size is 10 cm. It forms dense schools in beaches, lagoons and estuaries, and tolerates brackish and even fresh water. It eats plankton, mainly small crustaceans and fish larvae. It occurs from the Gulf of California to the Gulf of Guayaquil. It has little commercial value and goes mainly to fishmeal and fish oil.

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 striped herring; in the meantime, see the similar species.

fun facts

  • It tolerates fresh and brackish water, which is why it enters lagoons and estuaries.
how to recognize it

identification

Silvery, compressed sardine with a slender body and a strongly keeled belly. The bright silvery band along the flank is the main mark and sets it apart from similar sardines of the region. The thread herrings (Opisthonema) have a long filament at the end of the dorsal fin, which this species lacks.

distribution

where found

open on the large map

Eastern Pacific of Latin America, from the Gulf of California to the Gulf of Guayaquil, in beaches, lagoons and estuaries.

Habitat: Beaches, lagoons and estuaries, in schools near the surface, down to 50 m deep.

what the law says

rules for the striped 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.

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.

Harmless. A schooling fish with delicate skin and scales: handle it with a wet hand. It mainly appears in net catches.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00851, b = 3.11; 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.

  1. scientific FishBase: Lile stolifera (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
  2. scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Lile stoliferaNames by country and language.
don't confuse

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