Hickory Shad
Alosa mediocris
The hickory shad is a river herring with a thin, grayish-green body and several spots on the shoulder. (Ellen Edmonson and Hugh Chrisp, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation)
The hickory shad is a river herring with a thin, grayish-green body and several spots on the shoulder. It visits the Chesapeake Bay each spring to spawn in freshwater rivers.
Appearance:
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Thin, grayish-green body
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Iridescent silver sides and belly
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Dark shoulder spot followed by several fainter spots
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Large, easily shed scales that come together at the belly to form a saw-toothed edge
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Strongly projecting lower jaw
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Can grow to 2 feet long
Habitat:
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Lives in coastal ocean waters
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Spawns in freshwater rivers
Range:
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Visits the Chesapeake Bay each spring to spawn in freshwater rivers, including the James, Potomac and Susquehanna
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After spawning, shad move downstream. They leave the Bay by summer.
Feeding:
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Feeds on small fish, fish eggs and crustaceans
Predators:
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Larger predatory fish such as bluefish and striped bass
Reproduction and Life Cycle:
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Shad are anadromous, meaning they live in the ocean and spawn in freshwater rivers
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From May-early June, migrates to the tidal freshwater river where it was born to spawn
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Spawning takes place between dusk and midnight
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After spawning, adults either die or return to the ocean
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Once they hatch, young of the year grow rapidly as they gradually move downstream
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In autumn, most young leave the Bay for the ocean
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Lives 6-10 years
Other Facts:
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Can be confused with American shad and other alosids. You can distinguish a hickory shad by its strongly projecting lower jaw.
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Hickory shad have probably never been abundant in the Bay because the Chesapeake is near the fish’s northern limit
Sources and Additional Information:
