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Is the Shad a protected fish or not, since a can remember from the first time seeing one caught ,a have been led to believe it is. but tonight have been on another fishing site and one lad reckons he's was talking to a fisheries bloke and he had not heard of it being protected anyone know for sure
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Last edited by waco; 26-07-2009, 10:37 PM. -
found this bit of info hope this helps
The Allis Shad Fish (Alosa alosa (Linnaeus)) and the Twaite Shad Fish (Alosa fallax (Lacepede)), are both members of the herring family, Clupeidae.
This species of fish form a large group of pelagic fishes found in seas throughout the world except the Antarctic.
A majority of them are marine fish, however, some enter fresh water to spawn. Following the spawn, their young subsequently return to the sea to grow and a few live permanently in fresh waters.
Allis and Twaite Shad fish are the only two members of the herring family found in fresh water in the UK. Both resemble large herring (adults can be over 2 kilograms in weight) and were formerly eaten in Britain before numbers declined and the fisheries collapsed.
The Allis Shad fish has a dark back and a blackish spot on the shoulder. It has no lateral line, there are from 72 so 86 scales from gills to sail - and numerous fine gillrakers (from 60 to 120) visible on lifting the gill-covers. The year-old fish - which has a row of dark blotches on the upper part of each side of the body - emigrates to the sea. The maximum length is 2.5 feet - maximum weight about 8 lbs.
The Twaite Shad fish is more common than the Allis Shad - with the same appearance and habits - though much smaller. Even when adult it retains a row of dark spots on the upper part of the body. There is no lateral line, the scales are smaller and firmer (58 to 66 in a row from gills to tail) - and gillrakers are short and stiff - numbering from 30 to 45; these characteristics distinguish the Twaite from the Allis Shad.
Because of this decline, the Allis Shad fish is now given considerable legal protection. It is listed in annexes IIa and Va of the Habitats Directive, Appendix III of the Bern Convention, Schedule V of the UK Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) and as a Priority Species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.
deanCod machine -
cheers mate, thats more than enough info and when a get the hang of the internet i might be able find out these things myself. cheers againComment
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Just to add - Allis shad is protected againt "killing, injuring or taking". Twaite shad is protected against damage or destruction of the area's it populates for shelter/breeding (ie you can't damage its habitat).Comment
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shad
cheers lads lots of good information there.me and waco seen one come in on saturday,protected or not it's always a good idea to return as many fish as possible back to the sea.Comment
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Shads.
Although the Shads are now both protected species there are British records for them. The Allis Shad (Alosa Alosa) shore record is 4lbs.12ozs.7drams. taken in 1977 by P.B.Gerrard off Chesil Beach. There is no boat record for this fish.
The Twaite Shad (Alosa Fallax)shore record is 2lbs.12ozs.1dram. Taken by J.W. Martin in 1978 at Garlieston Scotland. The boat record is a fish of 2lbs.4ozs.2drams taken in 1985 by D.Protheroe out of Barry South Wales.
Tight Lines, Sam.Comment
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Was a thread posted in the past 2weeks about this..
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i cought a twaits shad last year on float and a old guy near me told me it was a protected fish, he insisted that i had to return it to the sea, but as i pointed out to him the fish had swallowed the hook and i would more than likely kill it trying to retrieve the hook, he told me to kill it then put it into my tackle box [out of the way of prying eyes like]take it home and eat it, he said it tastes better than wild atlantic salmon and you know what he was rightComment
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