Differences Between Herring & Tomcod

Family Classification

• The fish are listed in different families. The herring is a member of the family Clupeidae, while the tomcod belongs to the family Gadidae.

Geographic Location

• The herring and tomcod are found in different geographic locations. The tomcod is found in North American coastal waters from Quebec in Canada down to south Virginia. Herring live in waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic.

Habitat

• The tomcod is a versatile fish and can be found in both fresh and salt water. It can adapt quickly to a change of salinity in water. The tomcod prefers to live inshore, although some will swim into cooler, deeper water in the spring. On the other hand, herring are found in open ocean waters. The Atlantic herring also likes to live in offshore waters.

Color

• All herring species are covered in silver-blue scales. This color acts as good camouflage in open waters against deep-sea dwelling predators. In contrast, the tomcod comes in a range of olive or muddy green. It has a yellowish tinge on its back, which pales at its sides. The belly is grayish or yellow, while the body has dark spots or blotches.

Features

• There are several physical features that are different between the fishes. The herring has a single dorsal fin. The tomcod has three dorsal fins, which begin at the middle of the pectoral fins. Another physical difference is size. The blackfin wolf-herring can grow up to 39 inches long. The largest recorded size of a tomcod was about 15 inches.