Definition of "blueback" [blue•back]

• Any of several unrelated American fish (noun)

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• "And put his clothes on in the blueback cold, then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze."
• "None of these small fish species -- menhaden, alewives and blueback herring -- have the widespread appeal of your average humpback whale or giant panda, but they do happen to sit near the bottom of the food chain."
• "The NRDC is spearheading an effort to get river herring (shorthand here for blueback herring and alewife) listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act, while the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) showed overwhelming support for new efforts to protect and rebuild the decimated menhaden stock."