Alewives are found all along the eastern Atlantic Ocean from Newfoundland to North Carolina. They follow the same general pattern of migration as shad, moving north in early summer and south in the fall. These fish spend two to three years at sea before returning home to spawn. It is thought that they move off the east coast and wander over most of the Continental Shelf. In New York, a large run of ocean-run alewives occurs in the Hudson River and its tributaries each spring.
Smaller runs occur in tidal creeks along Long Island.
Although bony, ocean-run alewives are valued for pickling by many fisherman. Large square or round nets are lowered into the creeks where alewives run and the fish are scooped up as they swirl about above the net. For the conventional angler, a combination of light tackle and a smaller version of the shad dart in white, yellow, or chartreuse can be used to catch these fish. Unique among New York's herring, the alewife has also developed a separate landlocked form of the species. The landlocked alewife is an important bait and prey fish in the Great Lakes, Finger Lakes, and numerous reservoirs in New York State's inland waters.