AlewifeorBlueback Herring
Two fish anglers mix up. Here is what separates them, and what each one’s rules are in your state.
How to tell them apart
Alewife
River herring with an eye WIDER than its snout is long; gray-green back, single shoulder spot, sawtooth belly keel.
Alewife, next to blueback herring: bigger eye, gray-green back, pale gut lining.
Blueback Herring
The alewife's twin with a blue-black back and smaller eye; told apart for sure by the black gut lining.
Blueback herring, next to alewife: blue-black back, smaller eye — in hand, its gut lining is black.
Side by side
| Alewife | Blueback Herring | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Alosa pseudoharengus | Alosa aestivalis |
| Also called | River herring, Buckie | River herring |
| Waters | Inshore | Inshore |
| Heaviest state record | — | — |
| On the table | Possession is banned along most of the coast — release. | Possession is banned along most of the coast — release. |
| Rules of its own in | 11 states | 14 states |
Rules for
Every state, both fish
The two fish are regulated differently in 3 of 14 states with a rule for either. In Florida (Atlantic), blueback herring is No size limit, 10 per person (shad and blueback herring combined) while alewife has no rule of its own there. Call the fish wrong and you keep a short one or throw back a legal one.
| State | Alewife: size · bag · season | Blueback Herring: size · bag · season |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | Take prohibited0Closed year-roundPut it backCT DEEP 2026 · checked | Take prohibited0Closed year-roundPut it backCT DEEP 2026 · checked |
| Delaware | Harvest prohibited0Closed - no harvest permittedPut it backDE DNREC 2026 · checked | Harvest prohibited0Closed - no harvest permittedPut it backDE DNREC 2026 · checked |
| Florida (Atlantic) | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | No size limit10 per person (shad and blueback herring combined)Open year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · likely · checked |
| Florida (Gulf) | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | No size limit10 per person (shad and blueback herring combined)Open year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · likely · checked |
| Maine | No size limit25 river herring per day (alewife + blueback combined)Open year-round; non-leased brooks, rivers and streams closed 6 AM Thursday to 6 AM Sunday weeklyOpenME DMR 2026 · checked | No size limit25 river herring per day (alewife + blueback combined)Open year-round; non-leased brooks, rivers and streams closed 6 AM Thursday to 6 AM Sunday weeklyOpenME DMR 2026 · checked |
| Maryland | Catch and release only0Closed - moratoriumPut it backMD DNR 2026 · checked | Catch and release only0Closed - moratoriumPut it backMD DNR 2026 · checked |
| Massachusetts | —Possession prohibitedProhibitedPut it backMA DMF 2026 · checked | —Possession prohibitedProhibitedPut it backMA DMF 2026 · checked |
| New Hampshire | No size limitSee Squamscott River special restrictionsClosed weekly sunrise Wednesday to sunrise ThursdayOpenNH F&G 2026 · checked | No size limitSee Squamscott River special restrictionsClosed weekly sunrise Wednesday to sunrise ThursdayOpenNH F&G 2026 · checked |
| New Jersey | Prohibited0No open seasonPut it backNJ DEP 2026 · checked | Prohibited0No open seasonPut it backNJ DEP 2026 · checked |
| New York | No possession0Closed all year (marine district)Put it backNY DEC 2026 · checked | No possession0Closed all year (marine district)Put it backNY DEC 2026 · checked |
| North Carolina | N/ANo harvest or possessionClosed year-roundPut it backNC DMF 2026 · checked | N/ANo harvest or possessionClosed year-roundPut it backNC DMF 2026 · checked |
| Rhode Island | N/ANo harvest or possessionClosed year-roundPut it backRI DEM 2026 · checked | N/ANo harvest or possessionClosed year-roundPut it backRI DEM 2026 · checked |
| South Carolina | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | No size limit1 US bushel per person per dayOpen year-roundOpenSC DNR 2026 · checked |
| Virginia | No harvest0Closed (moratorium)Put it backVMRC 2026 · checked | No harvest0Closed (moratorium)Put it backVMRC 2026 · checked |
In the app
Point the camera at the fish and Chum names it before you take the picture, alewife or blueback herring, with the right rules for the water you’re standing in. No signal needed.
Get the appQuestions anglers ask
How do you tell alewife from blueback herring?
Alewife: River herring with an eye WIDER than its snout is long; gray-green back, single shoulder spot, sawtooth belly keel. Blueback Herring: The alewife's twin with a blue-black back and smaller eye; told apart for sure by the black gut lining. Blueback herring, next to alewife: blue-black back, smaller eye — in hand, its gut lining is black. Alewife, next to blueback herring: bigger eye, gray-green back, pale gut lining.
Which is better to eat, alewife or blueback herring?
Alewife: Possession is banned along most of the coast — release. Blueback Herring: Possession is banned along most of the coast — release.
Do alewife and blueback herring have the same limits?
Not everywhere. They differ in 3 state rulebooks. Florida (Atlantic): alewife no rule of its own, blueback herring No size limit, 10 per person (shad and blueback herring combined); Florida (Gulf): alewife no rule of its own, blueback herring No size limit, 10 per person (shad and blueback herring combined); South Carolina: alewife no rule of its own, blueback herring No size limit, 1 US bushel per person per day.