Herring are forage fish belonging to the family Clupeidae, commonly found in large schools in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, including the Baltic Sea. They are also present off the west coast of South America, as well as in the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, and Bay of Bengal.
Three species of the genus Clupea make up about 90% of all herring captured in fisheries, with the Atlantic herring being the most prevalent, constituting over half of the total catch.
