Australian herring
Fish · Last reviewed 2026-10-25
A small, rough-scaled relative of the Australian salmon, taken off southern beaches on light tackle — a herring in name only.
The Australian herring is not a herring. It is the smallest of the Arripidae, the family of the Australian salmon, and Fishes of Australia calls it a popular recreational fish and an excellent sports fish on a light rod. In South Australia and elsewhere it is better known as tommy ruff, or ruff.
HOW TO TELL IT. Prominent black tips to the tail lobes, a large eye and a rounder head than the salmon, and scales rough to the touch. It is much smaller: Fishes of Australia gives 41 cm fork length against the western salmon's 96.
WHERE. The southern half of Australia from about Forster, New South Wales, to Shark Bay, and around Tasmania, inshore in bays and estuaries over seagrass, around weed and reef, and along ocean beaches.
A WESTWARD RETURN. It spawns on the west coast of Western Australia from April to June; the eggs and larvae drift east on the Leeuwin Current, the young spend about two years in southern bays, and adults migrate back west in February and March.
THE NAME. Fishes of Australia now writes the scientific name Arripis georgiana; FishBase keeps georgianus. They are the same fish.
The fish
Identification
No photograph of Australian herring is published yet, so none is shown. A photograph is published only once the animal in it has been checked against the diagnostic features described on this page, and its rights to be used here have been checked at its source.
- Scientific name
- Arripis georgiana
- Family
- Arripidae
- Water
- Saltwater, Brackish
- Conservation status
- Not assessed
- Regions
- Australia
- Greenish-blue to olive-grey above and silvery white below, with bars of golden spots along the side, most obvious in juveniles.
- Prominent black tips to the tail lobes, which no other Arripis has.
- A large eye, about a fifth of the head length, and a rounder head than the salmon.
- Scales rough to the touch, where the salmon's are smooth in large fish; large fish show faint darker stripes along the scale rows.
Size
- Typical
- The sources read give no typical size
Exceptional: FishBase records a maximum of 41 cm fork length and a maximum published weight of 800 g
Lifecycle and reproduction
Juveniles spend about two years in southern bays and coastal waters before migrating west as adults, by Fishes of Australia's account. FishBase records a maximum age of seven years, maturity at two to four and medium resilience.
Spawns on the west coast of Western Australia from April to June. The eggs and larvae are carried eastward by the Leeuwin Current, and the young settle in southern bays, by Fishes of Australia's account; FishBase records a fecundity of about 190,000 eggs.
Feeding and senses
FishBase says it feeds on small fish and prawns, inshore over seagrass, around weed and reef and along ocean beaches. The sources read say nothing more about what it takes or when.
The sources read do not describe how it finds food. Its large eye and inshore schooling habit are what they note, and what an angler meets off a beach or jetty.
Through the year
Adults migrate west in February and March towards spawning on the Western Australian coast from April to June, by Fishes of Australia's account.
Distribution
Endemic to the southern half of Australia from about Forster, New South Wales, to Shark Bay, Western Australia, and around Tasmania; inshore in bays and estuaries over seagrass, around kelp and rocky reef, and along ocean beaches.
This is a biological range — where the species occurs, not a prediction that you will catch one. To browse the fishing geography FishingHQ holds, start at fishing places.
Why anglers care
A popular angling fish off sandy beaches, considered an excellent sports fish on a light rod, with flesh Fishes of Australia describes as soft, somewhat oily and of good quality.
Handling and returning
The sources read give no handling advice specific to this fish. The state department's 2026 guide asks that unwanted or protected fish be released as carefully and as quickly as possible, and warns against high-grading: a fish not returned at once counts towards the day's bag.
Safety and rulesBack to the questions
Where to go next
Where it lives
Told apart from
More fish
Not related to this page — just the rest of the section. There is little else joined to this subject yet, and a short page should still lead somewhere.
Sources and evidence
- Australian Herring, Arripis georgiana — Fishes of Australia (Museums Victoria) (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Identity and the current spelling of the name, colour, black tail tips, eye, scales, other names, range, the spawning migration, size against the western salmon, angling value and flesh.States this directlyPassage read and verified
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Maximum size, habitat, distribution and the IUCN position (Not Evaluated) for Arripis georgianus. Also habitat, diet, maximum age, maturity, resilience and fecundity, under the spelling georgianus.States this directlyPassage read and verified
- Recreational fishing guide 2026 — Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: The general advice on releasing unwanted fish and on high-grading.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Why the 2 connections on this page are here, and the sources
Where it lives
Backed by research — 1 connection
Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.
Seagrass beds
FishBase's species summary, read on the review date.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: That Arripis georgianus is usually found inshore in bays and estuaries over seagrass beds or near seaweed, on rocky reefs and along ocean beaches.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Told apart from
Backed by research — 1 connection
Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.
Western Australian salmon
The museum's species account states the comparison.
- Australian Herring, Arripis georgiana — Fishes of Australia (Museums Victoria) (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The black tail tips, larger eye, rounder head and much smaller maximum size that separate the herring from the western Australian salmon.States this directlyPassage read and verified
How FishingHQ labels evidence is explained in the evidence policy.