Blueback Herring
Alosa aestivalis
Also called River herring.
How to tell it
The alewife's twin with a blue-black back and smaller eye; told apart for sure by the black gut lining.
- Not a alewife? That one bigger eye, gray-green back, pale gut lining. (Alewife)
- Not a atlantic herring? That one no shoulder spot. (Atlantic Herring)
Rules for
Every state
| State | Size | Bag | Season | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | Take prohibited | 0 | Closed year-roundCT DEEP 2026 · checked | Put it back |
| Delaware | Harvest prohibited | 0 | Closed - no harvest permittedDE DNREC 2026 · checked | Put it back |
| Florida (Atlantic) | No size limit | 10 per person (shad and blueback herring combined) | Open year-roundFWC 2026 · likely · checked | Open |
| Florida (Gulf) | No size limit | 10 per person (shad and blueback herring combined) | Open year-roundFWC 2026 · likely · checked | Open |
| Maine | No size limit | 25 river herring per day (alewife + blueback combined) | Open year-round; non-leased brooks, rivers and streams closed 6 AM Thursday to 6 AM Sunday weeklyME DMR 2026 · checked | Open |
| Maryland | Catch and release only | 0 | Closed - moratoriumMD DNR 2026 · checked | Put it back |
| Massachusetts | — | Possession prohibited | ProhibitedMA DMF 2026 · checked | Put it back |
| New Hampshire | No size limit | See Squamscott River special restrictions | Closed weekly sunrise Wednesday to sunrise ThursdayNH F&G 2026 · checked | Open |
| New Jersey | Prohibited | 0 | No open seasonNJ DEP 2026 · checked | Put it back |
| New York | No possession | 0 | Closed all year (marine district)NY DEC 2026 · checked | Put it back |
| North Carolina | N/A | No harvest or possession | Closed year-roundNC DMF 2026 · checked | Put it back |
| Rhode Island | N/A | No harvest or possession | Closed year-roundRI DEM 2026 · checked | Put it back |
| South Carolina | No size limit | 1 US bushel per person per day | Open year-roundSC DNR 2026 · checked | Open |
| Virginia | No harvest | 0 | Closed (moratorium)VMRC 2026 · checked | Put it back |
Not specifically regulated in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas: each state’s rule for unlisted species applies there (on its page).
On the table
Possession is banned along most of the coast — release.
In the app
Point the camera at a blueback herring and the name appears before you take the picture, with these rules for the water you’re standing in. No signal needed, and every catch goes in the log.
Get the appQuestions anglers ask about blueback herring
How many blueback herring can you keep?
Florida (Atlantic): 10 per person (shad and blueback herring combined); Florida (Gulf): 10 per person (shad and blueback herring combined); Maine: 25 river herring per day (alewife + blueback combined); New Hampshire: See Squamscott River special restrictions; South Carolina: 1 US bushel per person per day.
Where is blueback herring harvest prohibited?
Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Virginia. Release it there.
How do you tell blueback herring from alewife?
Blueback Herring has this: The alewife's twin with a blue-black back and smaller eye; told apart for sure by the black gut lining.. Alewife bigger eye, gray-green back, pale gut lining.