Clupea Clupea Clupea is genus of planktivorous bony fish belonging to the family Clupeidae, commonly known as herrings. They are found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of "Clupea" are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring ("Clupea harengus") and the Pacific herring ("Clupea pallasii") may each be divided into subspecies. Herrings are forage fish moving in vast schools, coming in spring to the shores of Europe and America, where they form important commercial fisheries. The species of "Clupea" belong to the larger family Clupeidae (herrings, shads,
Fishing in the North Sea injured invertebrates. Of the caught fish, about half are used for the production of fish oil and fish meal. Sturgeon, shad, rays, skates and salmon among other species were common in the North Sea into the 20th century, when numbers declined due to overfishing. Other factors like the introduction of non-indigenous species, industrial and agricultural pollution, trawling and dredging, human-induced eutrophication, construction on coastal breeding and feeding grounds, sand and gravel extraction, offshore construction, and heavy shipping traffic have also contributed to the decline. Various agreements have been made in the course of history. A 15th-century document illustrates shared use,