The eggs hatch in three to seven days. Swift flowing streams carry the larvae downstream. In Chesapeake Bay rivers, juveniles range throughout tidal and freshwater areas during the spring but move upstream during summer with the encroachment of saltier water. During fall, the water the young move downstream, beginning their first seaward migration. Juvenile river herring remain at sea until reaching sexual maturity in 3 to 6 years.
Herring are food for estuarine and coastal predators, including striped bass.
Historically, the ample supply of river herring supported a large fishery. Colonists stored salted herring in for winter food and used the oily backbones of blueback herring as lamp wicks. The Fishery Herring are still harvested. They can be eaten fresh, pickled or smoked. The majority of commercially harvested herring, however, usually ends up as crab and eel bait, fish meal, or pet food.