American Shad

American shad is the best-known of the six species of shad and herring that swim in the Bay. Alosa sapidissima (meaning “most delicious” in Latin) is an important anadromous species that once supported the most valuable finfish fishery in the Bay.

How are shad important to the Bay?

Shad form an important ecological link between the planktonic community and predatory fish in the Bay food web. Shad feed on plankton and small fishes throughout their lives. In turn, they are preyed upon by larger fish, including bluefish, weakfish and striped bass.

American shad is also a historically and culturally important species. Traditional Revolutionary War accounts treat American shad as the “savior fish” that saved George Washington's troops from starvation after the harsh winter of 1777-78. Shad and other alosines were also fed to enslaved African-Americans on plantations during Washington's time. Shad were tasty, plentiful, easy to catch and nutritious to eat, and could be “planked”—tacked to wooden boards and smoked over open fires until the bones disintegrated—then salted and saved to eat during winter.

For generations, regional gardeners have used shad as fertilizer for summer herbs and vegetables. Local economies have flourished on the basis of the annual shad run—the moment in spring, heralded by the blooming of the snow-white flowers of the shadbush, or serviceberry—when the fishes' upriver migration began.

Despite its historical significance, many Chesapeake watershed residents have never heard of shad, much less tasted it. Shad populations have been decimated by overfishing, pollution, and dams and other blockages that prevent the fish from spawning in upstream habitats.

How abundant are shad in the Bay?

Researchers measure the baywide abundance of shad by assessing populations on the York, James, Potomac and Susquehanna rivers. Overall, shad abundance continues to be at depressed levels; based on 2007 data from these four rivers, baywide shad abundance is at 22 percent of the abundance goal. Since 2006, Potomac River shad has shown signs of recovery, while populations on the James and Susquehanna rivers have exhibited a decline.