Alosa "oligorakered." The multirakered are primarily plankton feeders, the oligorakered have large rakers and are predators, and the medium-rakered generally consume a mixed diet. Most current species of the genus "Alosa" in North America can be found in Florida, whereas the distribution of most of them is broader. Morphology is notoriously liable to adapt to changing food availability in these fish. Several taxa seem to have evolved quite recently, making molecular analyses difficult. In addition, hybridization may be a factor in shad phylogeny. Nonetheless, some trends are emerging. The North American species except the American shad "A. sapidissima" can probably be
Herring to dwell in deeper waters. Predators of herring include seabirds, marine mammals such as dolphins, porpoises, whales, seals, and sea lions, predatory fish such as sharks, billfish, tuna, salmon, striped bass, cod, and halibut. Fishermen also catch and eat herring. The predators often cooperate in groups, using different techniques to panic or herd a school of herring into a tight bait ball. Different predators species then use different techniques to pick the fish off in the bait ball. The sailfish raises its sail to make it appear much larger. Swordfish charge at high speed through the bait balls, slashing with