Habitat
Pacific herring live in the North Pacific Ocean and many
surrounding seas. In the western North Pacific they are found
throughout the Western Bering Sea to Japan and even to the Yellow Sea. In
the
eastern North Pacific Ocean
Pacific herring are found in parts of
Baja California to some parts of Mexico and more north towards
Alaska. Pacific herring can also be found in the Russian Arctic.
They are found from surface depths to
1300 feet below. Many other species are found in the same
habitat as the Pacific herring, many of which are predators like
sharks and whales. They also share their habitat with many other
species of fish and other plants and animals. Like some corals,
for example the
Conus magnus, sponges like the
Cryptotethya crypta, and starfish like the
Asterias rubens,
Their habitats have been effected by oil spills, hurricanes, and other natural disturbances. These cause dramatic drops in population, because spawning grounds are most often destroyed. To read more about how populations of herring adapt and survive these disturbances, particularly oil spills, read this article by John Upton of the New York Times.