Atlantic Herring

Also known as North Sea Herring, Atlantic Sea Herring, Sild

Atlantic herrings form massive, synchronized schools containing millions of individuals that migrate between feeding, spawning, and wintering grounds across the North Atlantic. They communicate and maintain school cohesion using acoustic signals produced by releasing air from their swim bladders, creating distinct clicking sounds. As a foundational forage fish, they convert zooplankton into energy that sustains deep-sea ecosystems, seabirds, marine mammals, and commercial fisheries.