Description
Herring-like anadromous fish that lives at sea and ascends rivers to spawn; it is closely related to the twaite shad.
How to identify it
Lacks a lateral line, with a fairly rounded belly and a grooved gill cover; a large dark spot behind the gill cover, sometimes followed by one to six smaller spots.
Appearance
Blue-green back, brownish head with golden reflections and silvery flanks.
Habitat and habits
Anadromous: spends most of its life at sea and migrates into fresh water to spawn. Juveniles are found in estuaries and brackish waters.
Where it lives
Eastern Atlantic from Norway to Mauritania; it enters the western Baltic and the western Mediterranean. Breeding populations have disappeared in Morocco and in Mediterranean Spain.
Conservation status
IUCN: Critically Endangered (CR). The global population has declined by about 80% in twenty years.
Can be confused with
Twaite shad (Alosa fallax), with which it shares life cycle and range and with which it sometimes hybridises; Atlantic herring.
Related species and forms
Twaite shad
Alosa fallax
Herring-like anadromous fish that lives at sea and ascends rivers to spawn.
There's more in the app
This species' bite index, recommended baits and methods, and the rules of the day for every water. Offline too.
Soon on Android and iPhone
