Alabama Shad

Alabama Shad

Alosa alabamae

Side-profile illustration of an Alabama shad fish with silvery white scales on the sides and belly, and greenish coloration on the upperparts with silvery reflections.

Protected Status

ESA Candidate
Throughout Its Range

Quick Facts

Region
Southeast

About the Species

The Alabama shad is an anadromous species, carrying out life stages in both marine and freshwater environments. Alabama shad are found in the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico), although there is very little information about their marine habitat use. As part of their anadromous life cycle, adult Alabama shad leave the Gulf, sometimes migrating several hundred kilometers, and move into freshwater rivers in the spring to spawn. Spawning typically occurs in moderate current near sandbars, limestone outcrops, or over sand substrate with water temperatures ranging from 19 to 23°C. Alabama shad have been collected in large Gulf of America drainages from the Mississippi River and several of its larger tributaries eastward to Suwannee River in Northeastern Florida.

Scientific Classification

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Actinopterygii
Order Clupeiformes
Family Alosidae
Genus Alosa
Species alabamae

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 02/19/2025

Featured News

A coho salmon swims up the Sol Duc river on the Olympic Peninsula. A coho salmon swims up the Sol Duc river on the Olympic Peninsula. Credit: Adobe Stock.
Feature Story

NOAA Recommends $240 Million in Fish Passage Funding under Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act

National
View More News

Management Overview

NOAA Fisheries initiated a status review of this species in July 2024 in response to a petition. This status review will be used to determine whether listing the Alabama shad is threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act is warranted. During this time, the Alabama shad is considered a candidate species under the ESA.

Key Actions and Documents

Actions & Documents

90-Day Finding on a Petition to List the Alabama Shad under the Endangered Species Act

We, NOAA Fisheries, announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list the Alabama shad (Alosa alabamae) as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The petitioners also request that we designate critical habitat. We find that the…
Notice,
Southeast
Published

Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 02/19/2025