Clupeidae is a family of ray-finned fishes, comprising, for instance, the herrings, shads, sardines, hilsa,

and menhadens. The clupeoids include many of the most important food fishes in the world, and are
also commonly caught for production of fish oil and fish meal. Many members of the family have a body
protected with shiny cycloid (very smooth and uniform) scales, a single dorsal fin, and a fusiform body
for quick, evasive swimming and pursuit of prey composed of small planktonic animals. Due to their
small size and position in the lower trophic level of many marine food webs, the levels
of methylmercury they bioaccumulate are very low, reducing the risk of mercury poisoning when
consumed.

Clupeids are mostly marine forage fish, although a few species are found in fresh water. No species has
scales on the head, and some are entirely scaleless. The lateral line is short or absent, and the teeth are
unusually small where they are present at all. Clupeids typically feed on plankton, and range from 2 to
75 cm (0.8 to 30 in.) in length.[1] The family arguably also contains the "Sundasalangidae",
a paedomorphic taxon first thought to be a distinct salmoniform family, but then discovered to be
deeply nested in the Clupeidae.[1] In the fossil record, clupeids date back to the early Paleogene.

Clupeids spawn huge numbers of eggs (up to 200,000 in some species) near the surface of the water.
After hatching, the larvae live among the plankton until they develop a swim bladder and transform into
adults. These eggs and fry are not protected or tended to by parents. The adults typically live in
large shoals, seeking protection from piscivorous predators such as birds, sharks and other predatory
fish, toothed whales, marine mammals, and jellyfish. They also form bait balls.[2][1]

Commercially important species of the Clupeidae include the Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus),

the Atlantic and Baltic herrings (Clupea harengus), the Pacific herring (C. pallasii), and the European
pilchard or sardine (Sardina pilchardus).

The family currently comprises 54 genera and around 200 species.