American shad

American shad
Watercolor of an American shad by Sherman F. Denton, 1904: The swelling between the anal fin and ventral fin identifies this as a gravid female.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Clupeiformes
Family: Alosidae
Genus: Alosa
Species:
A. sapidissima
Binomial name
Alosa sapidissima
(A. Wilson, 1811)
Synonyms

Clupea sapidissima

The American shad (Alosa sapidissima) is a species of anadromous clupeid fish naturally distributed on the North American coast of the North Atlantic, from Newfoundland to Florida,[2] and as an introduced species on the North Pacific coast. The American shad is not closely related to the other North American shads. Rather, it seems to form a lineage that diverged from a common ancestor of the European taxa before these diversified.[3]

The American shad has been described as "the fish that fed the (American) nation's founders".[4][5] Adult shad weigh between 1.5 and 3.5 kg (3 and 8 lb), and they have a delicate flavor when cooked.[6] It is considered flavorful enough not to require sauces, herbs, or spices. It can be boiled, filleted and fried in butter, or baked. Traditionally, a little vinegar is sprinkled over it on the plate. In the Eastern United States, roe shads (females) are prized because the eggs are considered a delicacy.[7]

The name "shad" derives from the Old English sceadd, meaning "herring"; it is a cognate to Irish, Welsh, and Scottish Gaelic words for herring.[8]

  1. ^ NatureServe.; Daniels, A. (2019). "Alosa sapidissima". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T191206A82664336. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T191206A82664336.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference FB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Faria, R.; Weiss, S. & Alexandrino, P. (2006): A molecular phylogenetic perspective on the evolutionary history of Alosa spp. (Clupeidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40(1): 298–304. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.02.008
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference wheeler2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Boyle, Robert H. (8 December 2002). "A Sense of Where They Are". The New York Times.
  6. ^ "Grass Shad-another Fine Bait- Southeastern King Mackerel Club – King Mackerel Fishing in Southeastern North Carolina." Southeastern King Mackerel Club – King Mackerel Fishing in Southeastern North Carolina-. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://southeasternkingmackerelclub.com/grass-shad-another-fine-bait/ Archived 2012-04-26 at the Wayback Machine>.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference RedOrbit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Shad. Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved 7 November 2017.