Pontic shad Pontic shad The Pontic shad ("Alosa immaculata", previously "Alosa pontica"), also referred to as the Black Sea shad or Kerch shad, is a species of clupeid fish in the genus "Alosa", native to the Black Sea and Sea of Azov basins. "Alosa immaculata" lives in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, and adults migrate up rivers to spawn. It may also be found in the Marmara Sea in Turkey. It currently migrates up and spawns in six rivers: the Danube, Dnieper, Dniester, Southern Bug, Don and Kuban Rivers. Previously the migrations reached far upstream, up to 1,600 in Danube
Herring trade in herring is an important sector of many national economies. In Europe, the fish has been called the "silver of the sea", and its trade has been so significant to many countries that it has been regarded as the most commercially important fishery in history. Environmental Defense have suggested that the Atlantic herring ("Clupea harengus") fishery is an environmentally responsible fishery. Herring has been a staple food source since at least 3000 BC. The fish is served numerous ways, and many regional recipes are used: eaten raw, fermented, pickled, or cured by other techniques, such as being smoked as