Norwegian record Atlantic herring: 720 g

About Atlantic herring

The Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) is one of the most numerous fish in the North Atlantic. It has a long body flattened from the sides, bright silver with a dark blue-green back, large scales that come off easily and a forked tail. The lower jaw projects slightly, and the lateral line is hard to see. Herring range from Biscay north to the Barents Sea and around Iceland and Greenland. The large Norwegian spring-spawning stock spawns in February and March along the coast between Møre and Nordland. North Sea herring mostly spawn later in the year. Herring travel in huge shoals and feed on zooplankton, mainly copepods and krill. They can reach about 45 cm, though fish over 40 cm are rare. For anglers, herring are mostly bait, but small feathered rigs fished from quays and piers will catch them when shoals come close. Norwegian Red List 2021: Least Concern (LC).

Sources: Artsdatabanken, Store norske leksikon, Wikipedia

• Habitat: Saltvann
• Best month: August
• Red list status: LC (2021)

See the species guide

Biggest Atlantic herring in FishComp

300 g (42 % of the record) by Lars Holte. See the catch

How to register a Norwegian record

1. Norwegian sport-fishing records are registered with Villmarksliv, not with FishComp. Read the rules before you do anything else with the fish.
2. Records are based on weight and approved by a jury. You give the weight and length, where it was caught, the gear you used and any witnesses.
3. Keep your photos and notes from the catch. Logging it in FishComp does not register a record.