Larger herring eat other food as well, including larger larvae, small insects, shrimp, and even small fish. Fishing Ocean-run herring grow to a size that provides fun for the angler. American shad are the best known sport fish of the herring. They put up a good fight when hooked - the trick is in getting one to strike. Most herring are highly valued by the commercial fishing industry, with American shad the favorite food fish.
American shad are sweet in taste and the eggs or roe are considered a spring delicacy.
Alewife and blueback herring are fished commercially in the ocean and used for pickling. The largest of New York's herring, American shad are very important commercial and sportfish along the Atlantic coast. Their large size and long jaw, which extends to behind their eye, distinguishes them from other members of the herring family. In the ocean, American shad are found along the eastern coast of North America, from Florida to as far north as the Gulf of St. Lawrence in northeastern Quebec. New York's shad are from stocks in the Hudson and Delaware rivers and are part of what is called the mid-Atlantic population.