Caspian anadromous shad (Alosa kessleri)

Scientific name: Alosa kessleri Grimm, 1887

Caspian anadromous shad (Alosa kessleri)

The Caspian anadromous shad (Alosa kessleri) is a freshwater fish of the family Clupeidae. Native range: Former USSR and Asia, Caspian Sea.

Biology

Pelagic at sea, found in a wide variety of habitats. Migrates to middle reaches of large rivers, spawning close to shores in main channel and in almost still water bodies such as river bays and eddies and flood plains, at 4-5 years. Enters rivers with unripe gonads. Some spawn 2-4 seasons with most females dying after spawning. Spawners appear along the coast in March to April, entering rivers April to May when temperature reach about 9?C, peaking at 12-15?C. Duration of spawning originally lasting 30-50 days; it starts in may to August when temperature rises above 15?C and lasts as long as it remains at 15-23?C; it is most intensive between 4-10 p.m. Eggs are bathypelagic. Spent individuals return back to the sea to feed. In autumn, the fish move to the southern part of the sea to overwinter. Juveniles migrate to the sea or estuarine during the first su

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Alosa kessleri
Family
Clupeidae (Herrings, shads and sardines)
Order
Clupeiformes (Herrings)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
52.0
Common length
40.0
Depth range
0–85 m (0–279 ft)
Environment
Marine; freshwater; brackish; pelagic-oceanic; anadromous; depth range 0 - 85 m
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
Former USSR and Asia: Caspian Sea.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=3-5; Fec=135,000)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated