The American Shad is the best-known of all the shad and herring that swim in the Chesapeake Bay. The silvery fish – typically 20- 24 inches long -- can be identified by its row of dark spots along its side and the scutes or sharp saw-like scales along its belly.
A highly migratory species, shad often travel in schools. They are anadromous -- meaning they live in the sea for the majority of their lives, and enter freshwater to spawn. River-specific, they return to their birth river to spawn. In Maryland, peak spawning time is mid-April through early June.
Young shad eat zooplankton and insects, while the adults choose plankton, small crustaceans, and small fish to consume; but while migrating upriver do not feed. The average lifespan of the fish is 5 years at sea, and during that time it may migrate over 12,000 miles. The oldest American shad recorded in Maryland was 11 years of age.
American and Hickory Shad were both closed to recreational and commercial fishing in 1980. American Shad commercial fishing off Maryland’s Atlantic Coast was opened for a limited season in 1992; this season was closed permanently in 2004.
Historically, the American Shad spawned in nearly every accessible river and tributary along the East coast from Canada to Florida. However, the deterioration of water quality and blockage due to dams and other obstacles have depleted American Shad stocks. Since 1993, hatchery stocking has been used to increase the American Shad populations in our waterways.
Illustration of American Shad (Alosa sapidissima)