Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

So Why Are They Called Alewives?

By Sam Cholke | April 30, 2015 2:55pm
 The alewife fish got its name because its belly resembled that of a chubby female tavern keeper, often called alewives in the 15th century.
The alewife fish got its name because its belly resembled that of a chubby female tavern keeper, often called alewives in the 15th century.
View Full Caption
Shutterstock

HYDE PARK — So why is Lake Michigan's most notorious fish called an alewife anyway?

Old-time South Siders still call the little 10-inch herrings “all wives” from those summer days in 1967, when a billion pounds of the dead fish washed up ashore, and many beach-goers dared their siblings to swim in the lake waves choked in dead fish.

But the name of the Atlantic fish can be traced back to the 1630s when colonists in North America gave the alewife the name because of its paunch little belly, according to the Online Etymology Dictionary.

Before the fish got the name, chubby tavern keepers were called alemen or alewives starting in the 15th century, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Less food in the lake and a couple of harsh winters recently have forced many of the fish to burn off that beer gut. Salmon and other predator fish have less to eat, too.

For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: