Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Clupeiformes (Herrings) > Clupeidae (Herrings, shads, sardines, menhadens)
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).

Issue
5 subspecies known.

Environment / Climate / Range Ecology

Marine; freshwater; brackish; pelagic-neritic; anadromous (Ref. 51243); depth range ? - 300 m (Ref. 10541). Temperate; 70°N - 27°N, 25°W - 42°E

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m 32.5 range ? - ? cm
Max length : 60.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 35388); common length : 40.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2945); max. published weight: 1.5 kg (Ref. 188); max. reported age: 25 years (Ref. 556)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 4 - 6; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12-16; Anal spines: 3-4; Anal soft rays: 16 - 22; Vertebrae: 55 - 59. Body slightly compressed, fairly deep with scutes along belly. Upper jaw notched, lower jaw fitting into it (Ref. 188). 31-50 (rarely up to 60) thick gill rakers on the lower arc (Ref. 59043). Large, thin scales (Ref. 51442). Deep blue dorsally, becoming greenish brown or golden on the sides and silvery ventrally. A dark spot posterior to gill opening followed by 6-10 similar spots (sometimes faint or absent) along flank (Refs. 188, 88187). Also Ref. 2196.

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions | Faunafri

Northeast Atlantic: from the British Isles and southern Norway to Morocco, including the Baltic, Mediterranean and Black Seas (Refs. 188, 26334, 51442)). Several subspecies have been recognized based on the number of gill rakers and geographical location (Ref. 10541) and some have since been given species-status (Ref. 59043). Listed in Appendix III of the Bern Convention (2002). Listed in Annex II and V of the EC Habitats Directive (2007).

Amphihaline species (Ref. 51442), schooling and strongly migratory (Ref. 188). Adults are usually found in open waters along the coast (Refs. 59043, 89486); juveniles are usually found along estuaries and near the shore (Ref. 59043), possibly making vertical diurnal movements synchronized with the tides; they remain in estuaries for over one year (Ref. 89630). Migrates to major rivers to spawn; also reported to spawn in small rivers. Several landlocked (lake) non-migratory populations exist (Ref. 10541). Ichthyophagous, feeds on small fishes and crustaceans, the young taking the fry of herrings, sprats and gobies (Ref. 188, Ref. 51442). Females grow faster and are always larger than males of the same age (Ref. 10541). Very locally distributed due to pollution and impoundment of large rivers throughout Europe and most populations declined during the first decade of the 20th century, but seem to have stabilized at a low level since then (Ref. 59043). It has been suggested that members of the genus Alosa are hearing specialists with the American shad (Alosa sapidissima) having been found to detect and respond to sounds up to at least 180 kHz (Ref. 89631). This may aid in predator avoidance (e.g. cetaceans) (Ref. 89632). Hybridization between this species and the allis shad (Alosa alosa) has been reported from the Rhine (Ref. 89633) as well as rivers in France and Algeria (Ref. 10541). There is some evidence that indicates that shad hybrids may reproduce (Ref. 27567).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Whitehead, P.J.P., 1985. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 7. Clupeoid fishes of the world (suborder Clupeioidei). 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.

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 90363)

Least Concern (LC)

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial

FAO(fisheries: production; publication : search) | FisheriesWiki | Sea Around Us

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Estimates of some properties based on empirical models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00583 (-0.03852 - 0.05018), b=3.06 (3.04 - 3.07), based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref. 93245).

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278): 3.6 ±0.60 se; Based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 69278): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.21-0.38; tm=2-7; tmax=25; Fec>10,000).

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Moderate to high vulnerability (50 of 100) .

Price category (Ref. 80766): Low.

Alosa fallax (Lacepède, 1803)