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Alosa aestivalis (Mitchill, 1814)

Blueback shad
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Alosa aestivalis   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Alosa aestivalis (Blueback shad)
Alosa aestivalis
Picture by Flescher, D.


United States (contiguous states) country information

Common names: Blueback herring, Herring, River herring
Occurrence: native
Salinity: freshwater
Abundance: common (usually seen) | Ref: Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr, 2011
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: It is known from Atlantic coast from Maine to St. Johns River, Florisa (Ref. 86798). It is found in Chesapeake Bay and virtually all streams tributary to the Bay, Delaware River, and offshore waters of New Jersey (Ref. 4639). It has been Introduced into Virginia and New Carolina reservoirs and upper Tennesssee River system in Tennessee (Ref. 86798). Its range and abundance have been reduced due to dams (Ref. 86798). Also Ref. 188, 27549, 37512, 93252.
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
National Fisheries Authority: http://www.nmfs.gov
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr, 2011
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Classification / Names Nomi Comuni | Sinonimi | Catalog of Fishes(Genere, Specie) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

> Clupeiformes (Herrings) > Alosidae (Shads and Sardines)
Etymology: Alosa: Latin, alausa = a fish cited by Ausonius and Latin, halec = pickle, dealing with the Greek word hals = salt; it is also the old Saxon name for shad = "alli" ; 1591 (Ref. 45335).
  More on author: Mitchill.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecologia

marino; acqua dolce; salmastro; anadromo (Ref. 51243); distribuzione batimetrica 5 - 55 m (Ref. 5951).   Subtropical; 47°N - 27°N, 84°W - 60°W (Ref. 117456)

Distribuzione Stati | Aree FAO | Ecosystems | Presenze | Point map | Introduzioni | Faunafri

Western Atlantic: Cape Breton, Nova Scotia south to the St. John's River, Florida; also in lower parts of rivers (Ref. 188). Introduced in reservoirs in several states, and in the upper Tennessee River system in Tennessee, USA (Ref. 117456, 86798).

Size / Peso / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 40.0 cm SL maschio/sesso non determinato; (Ref. 7251); common length : 27.5 cm SL maschio/sesso non determinato; (Ref. 188); peso massimo pubblicato: 200.00 g (Ref. 7251); Età massima riportata: 8 anni (Ref. 12193)

Short description Chiavi di identificazione | Morfologia | Morfometria

Spine dorsali (totale) : 0; Raggi dorsali molli (totale) : 15 - 20; Spine anali: 0; Raggi anali molli: 15 - 21; Vertebre: 47 - 53. Moderately compressed, belly with distinct keel of scutes. Upper jaw with a distinct notch; lower jaw rising steeply within mouth; minute teeth present at front of jaws (disappearing with age). Lower gill rakers 41 to 52 (fewer in fishes under 10 cm standard length), slender. Back dark blue, sometimes bluish-grey; a dark spot on shoulder (Ref. 188). Peritoneum black (Ref. 7251). Branchiostegal rays 7 (Ref. 4639).

Biologia     Glossario (es. epibenthic)

Inhabits rivers, estuaries, coastal waters, lakes and reservoirs (Ref. 117456). Adults are found in saltwater except during the spawning season and occur up to at least 200 km offshore (Ref. 117456). Forms schools and possibly wintering near the bottom and out from the coast, approaching the shore in the late spring. Feeds on small fishes, copepods and small shrimps. Spawns in brackish- or freshwaters of rivers, arriving in coastal waters a month or so later than A. pseudoharengus (in April at Chesapeake Bay, apparently when the water is above 7.0° C and later further north). Eggs are essentially pelagic, demersal in still water (Ref. 4639). Larvae are found in fresh and brackish rivers (Ref. 4639). Juveniles leave fresh and brackish nursery grounds at about 5 cm, migrating downstream (Ref. 4639). In freshwater habitat, this species usually occurs in current over rocky bottom (Ref. 86798). Marketed mostly fresh and salted (Ref. 188). Parasites found are acanthocephalan and nematodes (Ref. 37032).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Riproduzione | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larve

Upriver movement to spawning areas occur in late afternoon or at night (Ref. 4639).

Main reference Upload your references | Bibliografia | Coordinatore | Collaboratori

Whitehead, P.J.P., 1985. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 7. Clupeoid fishes of the world (suborder Clupeoidei). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the herrings, sardines, pilchards, sprats, shads, anchovies and wolf-herrings. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(7/1):1-303. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 188)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Vulnerabile, vedi Lista Rossa IUCN (VU) (A2b); Date assessed: 13 October 2011

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless




Human uses

Pesca: commerciale
FAO(pesca: production; publication : search) | FishSource | Sea Around Us

Informazioni ulteriori

Trophic ecology
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Diet compositions
Food consumptions
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Ecology
Ecologia
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Population dynamics
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Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
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Abundances
Life cycle
Riproduzione
Maturities
Fecundities
Spawnings
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Egg(s)
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Dinamica popolazioni larvali
Distribution
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Oxygen consumptions
Swimming type
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Visual pigment(s)
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Toxicities (LC50s)
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Profili di acquacoltura
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Fonti Internet

Alien/Invasive Species database | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes(Genere, Specie) | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | Faunafri | Fishtrace | GenBank(genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | GOBASE | | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Scirus | SeaLifeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia(Go, ricerca) | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 11.5 - 24.7, mean 23.7 (based on 86 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00794 (0.00370 - 0.01703), b=3.04 (2.87 - 3.21), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.8   ±0.3 se; based on diet studies.
Resilienza (Ref. 120179):  Medio, tempo minimo di raddoppiamento della popolazione 1.4 - 4.4 anni (K=0.18; tm=4; Fec=45,800).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Moderate vulnerability (39 of 100).
Climate Vulnerability (Ref. 125649):  Moderate to high vulnerability (50 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Low.