shad

views updated May 23 2018

shad / shad/ • n. (pl. same or shads) a fish (genera Alosa and Caspialosa) of the herring family that spends much of its life in the sea, typically entering rivers to spawn. It is an important food fish in many regions.

shad

views updated May 18 2018

shad Oily fish, Alosa spp. (American shad is A. sapidissima) related to herring, that spawn in fresh water. The roe is especially prized.

shad

views updated May 18 2018

shad Saltwater food fish of the herring family that swims upriver to spawn. Shads are prized for their roe. Deep-bodied, they have a notch in the upper jaw for the tip of the lower jaw. Length: to 75cm (30in). Family Clupeidae.

shad

views updated May 18 2018

shad See CLUPEIDAE.

shad

views updated Jun 08 2018

shad fish of the genus Alosa. Late OE. sċeadd, of unkn. orig.