Caspian Anadromous Shad

Alosa kessleri

A Volga dam blocks an ancient spawning route

Black
Temperate
Regional distribution
Europe
Fusiform
Compressed cross-section
Large
Temperate fish

Alosa kessleri, also referred to as the Caspian anadromous shad, the blackback, or the black-spined herring, is a species of alosid fish. It is one of the several species of shad endemic to the Caspian Sea basin. This is an anadromous species which ascends from the Caspian to the Volga river up to the Volgograd to spawn.

Class: Teleosts
Order: Herrings
Family: Alosidae
Genus: Alosa
Maximum length: 52 cm
Body shape: fusiform
Distribution: Europe: Caspian Sea from where adults ascend Volga (only few fish enter Ural and Terek) to spawn. Earlier reached upriver up to Kama and Oka system. Migration now blocked by Volgograd dam. May have formed land-lock populations in Volga reservoirs.
Conservation status: LCLeast Concern

Report a correction