Country Species Summary

Alosa sapidissima in USA (contiguous states)
American shad

Alosa sapidissima (Wilson, 1811)
Family:	Clupeidae (Herrings, shads, sardines, menhadens)	picture (Alsap_j0.jpg) by PSMFC SMP
Order:	Clupeiformes (herrings)
Class:	Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
FishBase name:	American shad
Max. size:	76.0 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 6885); 61.7 cm SL (female); max. published weight: 5,500 g (Ref. 7251); max. reported age: 13 years
Environment:	pelagic-neritic; anadromous ; depth range 0 - 250 m
Climate:	temperate; 61°N - 22°N
Global Importance:	fisheries: commercial
Resilience:	Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.14; tm=4.7)
Distribution:	North America: Newfoundland (Ref. 1998), the St. Lawrence River, and Nova Scotia southward to central Florida. Due to introductions into the Sacramento and Columbia Rivers, this species is now found from Cook Inlet, Alaska (Ref. 1998) to Baja California in Mexico and the Kamchatka Peninsula.
Diagnosis:	Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 15-19; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 18-24; Vertebrae: 51-60. Moderately compressed, belly with a distinct keel. Lower jaw not rising steeply within mouth. Gill rakers long and slender (fewer in young). Silvery in color with blue or blue-green metallic luster on back (Ref. 1998). A dark spot on shoulder, sometimes followed by several more, or even a second row. Resembles A. pseudoharengus with lower jaw rising steeply within mouth, eyes larger, and fewer lower gill rakers, as also A. aestivalis and A. mediocris (Ref. 188). Silvery, with a green or bluish back (Ref. 7251). Branchiostegal rays 7 (Ref. 4639).
Biology:	Spend most of its life at sea, returning to freshwater streams to breed (Ref. 27547). Non-spawning adults are found in schools near the surface of continental shelf waters in spring, summer and fall (Ref. 7135); also found in brackish waters (Ref. 4607). Newly hatched larvae are found in rivers during the summer; by autumn they enter the sea and remain there until maturity. Juveniles form schools at 20-30 mm TL and gradually move downstream (Ref. 4639). Feed on plankton, mainly copepods and mysids, occasionally on small fishes. Feeding ceases during upstream spawning migration and resumes during the downstream post-spawning migration (Ref. 1998). Commercially caught in rivers and estuaries during spawning migration (Ref. 1998). Utilized fresh, salted, or smoked. The roe is esteemed. Eaten pan-fried, broiled, and baked (Ref. 9988). Possibly to 375 m depth (Ref. 6793). Parasites found are nematodes, Acanthocephala, copepods and distomes (Ref. 37032)
Threatened:	Not Evaluated, see IUCN Red List , (Ref. 36508)
Dangerous:	harmless
Coordinator:
Main Ref:	Whitehead, P.J.P.. 1985. (Ref. 188)
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USA (contiguous states) country information
Common names:	American shad, Atlantic shad, Common shad, Shad, White shad	Ref: Whitehead, P.J.P., 1985
Status:	native	Ref: Jordan, D.S. and E.C. Starks, 1895
Salinity:	freshwater, brackish, marine
Importance:	commercial	Ref:
Uses:	gamefish: yes
Comments:	Original range of this species is from Sand Hill River, Labrador, to Indian River, Florida. Game fish in the east coast. Also caught in the Middle Atlantic, Southern New England, Gulf of Maine, and inshore north of Cape Hatteras (Ref. 37512). Distributed virtually in all streams tributary to Chesapeake Bay (Ref. 38947). Also Ref. 6793.Also Ref. 27547.
States/Provinces:	California (introduced) Delaware (native) Florida (native) New Jersey (native) Virginia (native) Washington (native)
States/Provinces Complete?:	No
Country Information:	www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html
National Fisheries Authority:	www.nmfs.gov
Occurrences:	Occurrences Point map
Main Ref:	Whitehead, P.J.P., 1985
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Checked: Garilao, Cristina V.

Modified: Ortañez, Auda Kareen

Entered: Carpenter, Kent E.

CGNET - US

Page created by: Eli, 20.10.03, last modified by Eli, 26.06.07

	Ref.:		Glossary
		(e.g. 9948)		(e.g. cephalopods)
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