Alewife
The alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) is Associate in Nursing anadromous species of herring found in North America. it's one in all the "typical" North yank shads, attributed to the taxonomic group genus Pomolobus of the Alosa. As Associate in Nursing adult it's a marine species found within the northern West ocean, going in estuaries before swimming upstream to breed in H2O habitats, howeversome populations live entirely in H2O. it's best illustrious for its invasion of the good Lakes by exploitation the Welland Canal to bypass Niagara Falls. Here its population surged, peaking between the Nineteen Fifties and Eighties to the hurt of the many native species of fish, and Pacific salmon were introduced to manage them. As a marine fish, the alewife may be a United States of America National Marine Fisheries Service "Species of Concern".
Alewives reach a most length of concerning forty centimeters (16 in), however have a mean length of concerning twenty fivecentimeters (10 inches). The front of the body is deep and bigger than different fish found within the same waters, and its common name is alleged to return from comparison with a chunky feminine tavernkeeper ("ale-wife").
In Atlantic North American country it's referred to as the gaspereau. In southwestern star Scotia, it's known as a kiack (or kyack). The word "gaspereau" comes from the Acadian French word "gasparot", 1st mentioned by Nicolas Denys. William Francis Ganong, New Brunswick man of science and scholar, wrote:
Gaspereau, or Gasparot. Name of a typical salt-water fish of territorial dominion (also known as Alewife), first used, to date as I willrealize, by Denys in 1672. obscurity am i able to realize any clue to its origin. It looks to not be Indian.
Acadians named 2 rivers once the fish, the Gaspereau watercourse in star Scotia and also the Gaspereaux watercourse in New Brunswick.
In the Southeast United States of America, once sold-out and used as bait, the fish is usually observed as "LY". There aranadromous and inland forms. The inland type is additionally known as a sawbelly or moon blindness (although this latter name is additional unremarkably applied to Hiodon spp.).
Adult alewives ar most well-liked bait for the spring lobster piscary in Pine Tree State. it's conjointly used for human consumption, sometimes smoke-dried. it's caught (during its spawning migration upstream) exploitation massive dip nets to scoop the fish out of shallow, constricted areas on its migratory streams and rivers.
