Alewife, Gaspereau (Alosa pseudoharengus)

Habitat	-Lives most of his adult life at sea and only enters freshwater to spawn -Generally stays in coastal waters (less than 100m in depth) -May live their entire life in freshwater; the Great Lakes for example
Reproduction	-Spawning begins in late April and may last for 2 months -A female can deposit from 48,000 to 360,000 eggs, depending on her size -Incubation takes between 3 to 6 days
Growth	-At age 4, alewivs average 26 cm in length and 230 g in weight; at 8 years of age, they mesure about 29.5 cm and weigh about 350 g -Rarely live longer than 10 years

Source: Scott W.B. and M.G. Scott. 1988. Atlantic Fishes of Canada, University of Toronto Press

Alewife in the Petitcodiac River Watershed

• Commercial catches declined from 11-17 tons in the 1960s, to 0-16 tons in the 1970s and 0-4 tons in the 1980s (Ritter, J.A., 1991)
• First evidence of decline was in 1972 when the catch dropped to 6 tons (Ritter, J.A., 1991)