Atlantic HerringorBlueback 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
Atlantic Herring
Classic slim silver herring — no spots, no threads; deep-blue back over bright chrome.
Atlantic herring, next to blueback herring: no shoulder spot.
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 Atlantic herring: blue-black back, spot.
Side by side
| Atlantic Herring | Blueback Herring | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Clupea harengus | Alosa aestivalis |
| Also called | Sea herring | River herring |
| Waters | Inshore | Inshore |
| Heaviest state record | 0.1 lb · Maine (2004) | — |
| On the table | Bait here, dinner in Scandinavia. | Possession is banned along most of the coast — release. |
| Rules of its own in | 2 states | 14 states |
Rules for
Every state, both fish
The two fish are regulated differently in 14 of 14 states with a rule for either. In Massachusetts, Atlantic herring is No size limit, No bag limit and blueback herring is —, Possession prohibited. Call the fish wrong and you keep a short one or throw back a legal one.
| State | Atlantic Herring: size · bag · season | Blueback Herring: size · bag · season |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | Take prohibited0Closed year-roundPut it backCT DEEP 2026 · checked |
| Delaware | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 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 | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 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 | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | Catch and release only0Closed - moratoriumPut it backMD DNR 2026 · checked |
| Massachusetts | No size limitNo bag limitOpen year-roundOpenMA DMF 2026 · likely · checked | —Possession prohibitedProhibitedPut it backMA DMF 2026 · checked |
| New Hampshire | No size limitNo bag limitOpen year-roundOpenNH F&G 2026 · checked | No size limitSee Squamscott River special restrictionsClosed weekly sunrise Wednesday to sunrise ThursdayOpenNH F&G 2026 · checked |
| New Jersey | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | Prohibited0No open seasonPut it backNJ DEP 2026 · checked |
| New York | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | No possession0Closed all year (marine district)Put it backNY DEC 2026 · checked |
| North Carolina | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | N/ANo harvest or possessionClosed year-roundPut it backNC DMF 2026 · checked |
| Rhode Island | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 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 | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 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, Atlantic herring 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 Atlantic herring from blueback herring?
Atlantic Herring: Classic slim silver herring — no spots, no threads; deep-blue back over bright chrome. 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 Atlantic herring: blue-black back, spot. Atlantic herring, next to blueback herring: no shoulder spot.
Which is better to eat, Atlantic herring or blueback herring?
Atlantic Herring: Bait here, dinner in Scandinavia. Blueback Herring: Possession is banned along most of the coast — release.
Do Atlantic herring and blueback herring have the same limits?
Not everywhere. They differ in 14 state rulebooks. Massachusetts: Atlantic herring No size limit, No bag limit, blueback herring —, Possession prohibited; New Hampshire: Atlantic herring No size limit, No bag limit, blueback herring No size limit, See Squamscott River special restrictions; Connecticut: Atlantic herring no rule of its own, blueback herring Take prohibited, 0; Delaware: Atlantic herring no rule of its own, blueback herring Harvest prohibited, 0; Florida (Atlantic): Atlantic herring no rule of its own, blueback herring No size limit, 10 per person (shad and blueback herring combined); and more in the table on this page.