What happen to Shad?

[Mr. Carp]

I was just wondering if anyone knows what happen to the shad after they make their run up the river?? Do they die like salmon and rot in their spawning grounds, or do they live and go back to the ocean? Just always wondered that. I have seen a few over the past few weeks floating down while out summer chinook fishing, but not 500,000 of them. :wink:

[Sturgeon Tom]

They go back to the ocean and do it again.

[Thumper]

Last fall I was up at Bonneville dam looking through the viewing window at the migrating salmon. There were thousands of very skinny shad swimming upstream slowly enough to be backing down the ladders. Heading downstream I guess.

[garyk]

In early summer on the Delaware River, I used to see thousands of dead shad, lining the banks, looking like an enormous fish kill disaster. I figured that shad must just make a one-way trip, like all salmon species.

I never knew that shad can survive to be repeat spawners until I read the book - "The Founding Fish", by John Mcphee.

It is a wonderful book covering shad biology, natural history and the fishes importance in American history. Like, did you ever hear that after Gettysburg Picket's division got whupped again 'cause the top officers took off to have a shad breakfast with Gen. Lee just prior to the Yankees attacking?

Stories like that will keep you up late reading away, and sorry when you're at the last page and there is no more.

While mostly centered on the east coast, there's also a brief section about the author shad fishing on the Columbia with Lenox Dick

Your view of shad is guaranteed to change afer reading this book.

I see Powells is offering one used at $17.50