Dorosomatidae

gizzard shad

Dorosoma cepedianum

Silvery green fades to plain silver

• Tropical
• Northern Hemisphere
• Regional distribution
• Atlantic Ocean
• North America
• Fusiform
• Compressed cross-section
• Large
• Tropical fish

The American gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum), also known as the mud shad, is a member of the herring family of fish and is native to large swaths of fresh and brackish waters in the United States of America, as well as portions of Canada, and Mexico. The adult has a deep body, with a silvery-green coloration above fading to plain silver below. The gizzard shad commonly resides in freshwater lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and streams but can also reside in brackish waters, as it does on the Atlantic coast of the United States.