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
Mattapoisett River mill purposes" and featured three herring weirs; the "Upper Herring Weir" in Rochester, the "Middle Weir" or "Church's Weir", and the "Lower Herring Weir" at the entrance to Mattapoisett Harbor. Fish populations drastically declined during the twentieth century until they were almost extinguished, but local restoration efforts from the 1980s onwards have fostered a slow recovery. The principal restoration tactic has been to remove snags and other obstacles from the river that serve to impede fish migrations. The Lower Herring Weir is one of the few rivers emptying into Buzzards Bay that has electronic fish counters installed. Reports from Alewives