redear herring
Harengula humeralis · Dorosomatidae · forage fish
Sardine of beaches and reefs in the Caribbean, Mexico and the Guianas, with a reddish spot behind the head. It is classified as venomous and calls for care when handled.
Also called: sardinha-orelha-vermelha, manzanillera, sardina de ley, red-ear sardine, redear herring
- maximum
- 22 cm
- depth
- 0–50 m
the right time
to be on the water
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
—
hour by hour
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
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.
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
trend for the coming weeks
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
everything about the redear herring
who is the redear herring
Sardine of the family Dorosomatidae, with a slender, elongated body and equally curved upper and lower profiles. It forms large schools near beaches, over reefs and Thalassia seagrass beds. It reaches 22 cm, with a common size near 15 cm. It lives down to 50 m. Scales are thin and come off easily, and the species often shows up in polluted areas. It ranges from Florida and Bermuda to the Guianas, through the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. There are no known Brazilian records. In angling it is used as bait.
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 redear herring; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- It is usually found in polluted areas, according to the species records.
identification
Slender, elongated body, with equally curved upper and lower profiles. The tips of some rays of the front dorsal fin are dark, and there is a reddish or orange spot behind the upper part of the gill opening, hence the name. Scales are thin and come off easily. To tell it apart from Harengula clupeola, look at the dark dorsal-fin tip: clupeola lacks this mark and has a diffuse yellow or orange spot on the edge of the gill cover.
where found
In Latin America, it lives in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, Cuba, Venezuela and the Guianas, on beaches and reefs. There are no known Brazilian records.
Habitat: Shallow beaches and reefs, in schools over Thalassia seagrass beds, from 0 to 50 m.
rules for the redear 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.
Listed as a venomous species, with no details on the risk. As a precaution, do not eat it, handle it with care and wash your hands afterwards. If returned, release it promptly.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01, b = 3.09; 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
—
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 humeralis (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 humeralisNames by country and language.
similar species
where each number comes from
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations: