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
Coonamesset River while environmental awareness has increased, bringing the conservation goal to the fore. While the Coonamessett maintained a healthy herring run for many years alongside Cranberry cultivation, in recent years the herring run has undergone a massive decline, following a similar decrease across New England which has been widely attributed to at-sea factors external to the rivers. In 2004, fish counters saw only 640 fish and the only about 2000 herring returned to spawn. Concern over the herring run and the disappearance of sea run trout has led to a consensus in the Town for better protection and improvement of the