Author: (Wilson, 1811)
FBname: American shad
Comments: Spends most of its life at sea, returning to freshwater streams to breed (Ref. 27547).  Inhabits open water of large rivers (Ref. 86798). Non-spawning adults are found in schools near the surface of continental shelf waters in spring, summer and fall (Ref. 7135); also found in brackish waters (Ref. 4607).  Newly hatched larvae are found in rivers during the summer; by autumn they enter the sea and remain there until maturity.  Juveniles form schools at 20-30 mm TL and gradually move downstream (Ref. 4639).  Feeds on plankton, mainly copepods and mysids, occasionally on small fishes.  Feeding ceases during upstream spawning migration and resumes during the downstream post-spawning migration (Ref. 1998).  Commercially caught in rivers and estuaries during spawning migration (Ref. 1998).  Utilized fresh, salted, or smoked.  The roe is esteemed.  Eaten pan-fried, broiled, and baked (Ref. 9988).  Possibly to 375 m depth (Ref. 6793).  Parasites found are nematodes, Acanthocephala, copepods and distomes (Ref. 37032).