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Alosa sapidissima

(Wilson, 1811)

American Shad

G5Secure Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101354
Element CodeAFCFA01060
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderClupeiformes
FamilyAlosidae
GenusAlosa
Other Common Names
Alose savoureuse (FR)
Concept Reference
Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
Forms a geographically disjunct species pair with A. ALABAMAE. Meristic differences have been found among different spawning populations along the Atlantic coast (see Lee et al. 1980). Nolan et al. (1991) discriminated among Atlantic coast populations using mtDNA.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2017-12-27
Change Date1996-09-09
Edition Date2011-10-13
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Rank Reasons
Large range along the Atlantic coast from Labrador to Florida; introduced and established on the Pacific coast of North America; population size is much reduced from historical levels due to dams, overfishing, and habitat degradation, but recent restoration efforts have led to significant increases in abundance.
Range Extent Comments
Native range includes the Atlantic coast from Labrador to the St. Johns River, Florida. This species was introduced in the Sacramento River, California, in the 1870s; subsequently it spread north to Alaska and eastern Asia (Kamchatka Peninsula) and south to Mexico. An introduced, landlocked population occurs in Millerton Lake, California. Sources: Lee et al. (1980), Moyle (2002), and Page and Burr (2011).
Threat Impact Comments
Historical declines in abundance of American shad in the Hudson and Connecticut rivers (as well as in rivers in Maryland, North Carolina, and Florida) have been attributed to overfishing and degradation of riverine habitat quality. Dam construction and pollution also have been factors contributing to the decline and almost complete disappearance of shad in many watersheds. Source: Haas-Castro (2006).
Ecology & Habitat

Description

Strongly compressed body; no scales on head; no lateral line; single dorsal fin; fatty eyelid in front of eye; no spines in fins; sharply pointed scales on belly; no teeth on jaws of adult; cheek deeper (top to bottom) than long (front to rear); mouth not strongly oblique; lower jaw extends to tip of snout or slightly beyond; green or blue back and silvery sides; blue-black spot near upper edge of gill opening, usually followed by one or two rows of smaller spots; 59-73 rakers on lower limb of first gill arch of adult. Total length up to 75 cm.

Habitat

Adults occur in marine waters except during the breeding season. Larvae summer in rivers, enter sea by fall; return to fresh water when mature. Premigratory juveniles appear to be habitat generalists, whereas earlier life stages and spawning adults are more selective (Ross et al. 1993).

Spawning occurs in various habitats (often in runs) in rivers as far as 480 km upstream from river mouth (but now usually prevented from moving so far upstream by dams). See Ross et al. (1993) for an evaluation of habitat suitability index models for riverine life stages.

Reproduction

Spawning occurs in February in the south, but not until June or July in the far north. The timing of migration and spawning also varies among years, being later when the water is colder. Eggs hatch in about a week. Larvae and juveniles spend the summer in rivers, then enter the sea by fall. They return to fresh water when mature (3-5 years old). Males are sexually mature in 3-4 years, females in 4-5 years. The percentage of individuals that spawn in two or more years decreases from north to south (0% in south). Southern populations tend to die after spawning whereas a higher proportion of the northly populations spawn in multiple years.

Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5B,N4N
ProvinceRankNative
Prince Edward IslandSNANo
New BrunswickS5BYes
British ColumbiaSNANo
OntarioSNAYes
QuebecS3Yes
Nova ScotiaS5BYes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
New JerseyS4Yes
District of ColumbiaS2BYes
MassachusettsS3Yes
North CarolinaS5Yes
VermontS4Yes
South CarolinaS4Yes
PennsylvaniaS4Yes
New YorkS2Yes
ConnecticutS3Yes
New HampshireS3Yes
MarylandS3Yes
DelawareS4Yes
FloridaS4Yes
NevadaSNANo
Rhode IslandS1Yes
OregonSNANo
MaineS5Yes
WashingtonSNANo
GeorgiaS4Yes
CaliforniaSNANo
IdahoSNANo
VirginiaS4Yes
AlaskaSNANo
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
5 - Biological resource usePervasive - largeSerious - moderateInsignificant/negligible or past
5.4 - Fishing & harvesting aquatic resourcesPervasive - largeSerious - moderateInsignificant/negligible or past
7 - Natural system modificationsPervasive - largeSerious - moderateHigh (continuing)
7.2 - Dams & water management/usePervasive - largeSerious - moderateHigh (continuing)
9 - PollutionPervasive - largeUnknownHigh (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (2)
Oregon (2)
AreaForestAcres
EagleMt. Hood National Forest16,841
TenmileSiuslaw National Forest10,818
References (36)
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