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American
Shad (Alosa sapidissima)
| Habitat |
-Lives at sea and
only enters freshwaters in the spring to spawn
-Following oceanic paths that range between 13-18°C, the
snad migrates northward in the spring and southward in the fall |
| Reproduction |
-Spawning takes
place in May, June or July
-On average, a female deposits 140,000 eggs, but can reach up
to 600,000 eggs
-Shad may spawn up to 5 times
-Although a few spawn at age 4, most are 5 years old at first
spawning |
| Growth |
-Incubation takes
about 8-12 days
-Once they reach 50-75 mm long, they move downstream to the sea
-At 1 year old, shad in the Bay of Fundy reach lenghts of 7.5-15.5
cm, at 2 years old fish average 23 cm, at 3 years old, about
30 cm
-In the Bay of Fundy, shad may live up to 8 or 9 years old |
Source: Scott W.B. and M.G.
Scott. 1988. Atlantic Fishes of Canada, University of
Toronto Press
American Shad in
the Petitcodiac River Watershed
- Annual runs exceeding 50,000
to 75,000 fish prior to causeway construction (Semple, J.R.,
1975)
- Fishway count at the causeway
for 1971-1973 totaled 1,19 and 0 fish respectively (Semple,
J.R., 1975)
- Commercial catches in the upper
Bay of Fundy between 1870 and 1900 peaked at 2-6 million lb/yr,
representing 2/3 of Canadian Shad landings (Harvey, J.,
1997)
- Commercial catches totaled 13,091
kg/yr in 1960-1967; reduced by 37% to 8,182 kg/yr in 1968-1977
(Semple, J.R., 1979)
- Currently eliminated from the
system
For more information please consult
the following web site:
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