SHAD
Shad are amazing fish.
The shad is a kind of fish that lives part of its life in the Delaware
River. Shad have a metallic blue to
green back and its sides are silver to white.
Shad have lived in the Delaware River for thousands of years.
Indians fished for Shad during the annual spring spawning
runs and taught early settlers how to catch shad in order to feed their
families. Shad saved George Washington’s
troops from starvation as they camped along the Schuykill River, a tributary of
the Delaware. Washington, later on in
his life would write that he caught over 1500 Shad. By the 1800’s fisherman caught Shad by the
ton. Farmers took advantage of this seamless
endless supply of fish by using them as fertilizer on their fields. People prized Shad for their delicious meat
and tasty eggs (roe). Everyone eagerly
awaited the spring migration of Shad.
In the Spring of each year, adult Shad between 4 and 6 years
old, return from the Atlantic Ocean to the streams where they were born. Male a female Shad travel as far upstream as
possible where they spawn. The eggs
hatch before they drift all the way back to the Ocean. After reaching the ocean, the immature Shad
form schools and begin a three to 5 year migration pattern only in the
ocean. They feed plankton and smaller
fish. Upon reaching maturity, they
return to their home stream to continue the cycle.
America grew rapidly and people fished more and more for
Shad. Pollution also became a problem
for the Shad. By the 1970’s, Shad were
almost nowhere to be found. People
decided to find ways to clean the Delaware River and control how much fishing
occurred. By the early 1980’s shad began
to make a small comeback. The Shad
festival in Lambertville NJ began as a celebration for the comeback of the
Shad. People are now aware that
polluting and over-fishing hurt the Shad.
We can help this amazing fish by keeping its habitat healthy and by not over-fishing.
School - A large number of fish in a group
Migrate – To move
from one area to another in a cycle
Habitat – The
natural area that a plant or animal lives
Shad – A fish
that lives both in the Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean
