Threadfin shad

Threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense) are a small forage fish in the Clupeidae family (herring and sprat) native to most of the Mississippi and Gulf of Mexico drainages in North America. They are a silvery flat bodied fish with a black spot behind the operculum. The species can be found outside of its native range as far west as the California and Oregon coasts. Adults do not normally grow larger than 10 cm, although the largest individual observed was 22 cm. Threadfin shad are short-lived fish that reach sexual maturity within their first year of life and typically do not live longer than two years. They are considered a warm water fish, preferring temperatures between 22ºC and 24ºC, and they cannot survive temperatures below 6ºC. They generally live in freshwater but can survive relatively well in saltwater; however, marine environments have been known to inhibit their reproduction. Threadfin shad feed on plankton by filtering water through their gill rakers to consume these small organisms. They also actively hunt larger zooplankton like copepods. Because they are exclusive planktivores, they require light to visually locate their prey.