Atlantic herring spawn either in spring or autumn, usually over a gravel bottom.

Temporal stability of genomic differentiation between seasonal spawning components in Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus).

They could also serve as escape cover or feeding sites for hakes, the Atlantic Tomcod, the Atlantic Herring, and young Atlantic Cod (Jean Morisset, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, personal communication).

Moreover, some molecules with the same function are present as well in non acanthomorph species, such arctic smelts (genus Osmerus), the atlantic herring (Clupea harrengus) and even in some insects...

Of note, species such as the American Sand Lance, the Capelin, and the Atlantic Herring live in schools, and serve as readily accessible food for several marine mammals.