United States (contiguous states) country information

Common names: American shad, American shad, Atlantic shad
Occurrence: native
Salinity: freshwater
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: commercial | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | 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 Refs. 27547.
National Checklist:
Country Information: httpss://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
National Fisheries Authority: https://www.nmfs.gov
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Whitehead, P.J.P., 1985
National Database:

Classification / Names

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Clupeiformes (Herrings) > Clupeidae (Herrings, shads, sardines, menhadens) > Alosinae
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Common names from other countries

美洲鲥, Alose savoureuse, Sábalo americano, ... more

Main reference

Whitehead, P.J.P. 1985. (Ref. 188)
References | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 76.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 6885); 61.7 cm SL (female); common length : 50.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 188); max. published weight: 5.5 kg (Ref. 7251); max. reported age: 13 years (Ref. 72462)

Length at first maturity
L_m ?, range 38 - 48.5 cm

Environment

Marine; freshwater; brackish; pelagic-neritic; anadromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 250 m (Ref. 6793)

Climate / Range

Temperate, preferred 10°C (Ref. 107945); 61°N - 22°N, 115°E - 59°W (Ref. 188)

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.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 15-19; Anal spines: 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).

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).

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Least Concern (LC)

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes

More information

Countries
FAO areas
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Ecology
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Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
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Eggs
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Age/Size
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References
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Internet sources

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)
PD₅₀ = 0.5000 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278)
3.5 ±0.3 se; Based on diet studies.

Resilience (Ref. 69278)
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.14; tm=4.7)

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)
Moderate to high vulnerability (51 of 100)

Price category (Ref. 80766)
Low

Alosa sapidissima (Wilson, 1811)