Alosa braschnikowi Alosa braschnikowi Alosa braschnikowi, the Caspian marine shad or Brazhnikov's shad, is one of the clupeid fish species endemic to the Caspian Sea. This is a relatively large shad, typically 30 cm and up to 50 cm length. It also has a more "herring-like" body shape than other Caspian shad species, being a slender and elongate fish. It has well developed teeth in both jaws. "Alosa braschnikowi" feeds on small fishes but also on crustaceans and occasionally other invertebrates. It performs migrations within the Caspian Sea, but does not enter rivers. Several subspecies have been described, with different breeding habits
Coonamesset River cranberry bogs that run to the rivers edge. Long ago nearly the entire river may have been bordered by red maple or white cedar swamp when the Wampanoag fished for herring. After European settlers arrived in 1660, the river was initially known as the Five Mile River. Philip Dexter located Falmouth's first grist mill at its mouth around 1700, and by 1795 there were three mills along the river with a corresponding decline in fisheries. A "herring war" began in 1798 with a bylaw giving an elected committee the right to remove any obstructions to allow fish free passage from