American Shad are naturally found from Florida to Canada, but
have also been introduced into U.S. West Coast waters. American
Shad hatch in freshwater, spend part of their life in the ocean,
and then return to freshwater rivers to spawn. Historically they
spawned in almost every accessible river and tributary on the
Atlantic coast, but blockage of these rivers has significantly
reduced their spawning habitat. Despite the closure of ocean
fisheries in 2005 and management measures throughout their
range, abundances of American Shad are greatly reduced compared
to historical levels and do not appear to be recovering. The
commercial fisheries that still exist capture American Shad with
gillnets and pound nets, which cause little damage to bottom
habitat.