shad

Alosa sapidissima

Returning upstream then spreading into the Pacific

Tropical
Coastal
Northern Hemisphere
Regional distribution
Atlantic Ocean
Pacific Ocean
East Asia
North America
Fusiform
Compressed cross-section
Large
Tropical fish

The American shad (Alosa sapidissima) is a species of anadromous clupeid fish naturally distributed on the North American coast of the North Atlantic, from Newfoundland to Florida, and as an introduced species on the North Pacific coast. The American shad is not closely related to the other North American shads. Rather, it seems to form a lineage that diverged from a common ancestor of the European taxa before these diversified.

Class: Teleosts
Order: Herrings
Family: Alosidae
Genus: Alosa
Maximum length: 76 cm
Body shape: fusiform
Distribution: North America: Atlantic coast from Labrador, Canada to St. Johns River, Florida, USA; ascends coastal rivers during spring spawning migrations. Introduced into Sacramento River, California in 1870s and has spread along Pacific Coast from Kamchatka, Russia to Todos Santos Bay, Mexico. Landlocked in Millerton Lake, California, USA.
Conservation status: LCLeast Concern

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