Hickory shad (Alosa mediocris)

Scientific name: Alosa mediocris Mitchill, 1814

Hickory shad (Alosa mediocris)

The Hickory shad (Alosa mediocris) is a freshwater fish of the family Clupeidae. Native range: Western Atlantic, along the coast from Maine to the St. John's River, Florida. Also in rivers.

Biology

Schools of adults are found in marine waters, along the coast; also estuaries, tidal rivers and tributaries during late spring and early summer. Juveniles tend to leave nursery areas during summer. Feed on small fishes, also squid, small crabs and other crustaceans, as well as fish eggs. Spawn in tidal freshwater (Patuxent River, Chesapeake Bay in May), and return to the sea shortly after. Parasites found are nematodes, cestodes and trematodes.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Alosa mediocris
Family
Clupeidae (Herrings, shads and sardines)
Order
Clupeiformes (Herrings)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
60.0
Common length
34.0
Environment
Marine; freshwater; brackish; pelagic-neritic; anadromous
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
Western Atlantic: along the coast from Maine to the St. John's River, Florida. Also in rivers.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: minor commercial
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.3)

Sources

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

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