New Film!!! PGP Action Short Film #10 Alosa Sapidissima :16:30 A closer look at the American Shad, transplanted to the West coast in 1871 by Seth Green at the request of California fisheries commissioner Spencer Baird. The largest member of the herring family the shad provides fast action for anglers of all ages in the Columbia River basin. The film also covers the feel of a warm spring days fishing on the Columbia River, always a great experience! Enjoy!









http://www.smallstreamsalmonfishing.com/sssfpages/movies.html




RESEARCH NOTES:

Here are some notes, web addys, additional photos and info I found while researching Alosa Sapidissima for the film.

Seth Green 1871-sacramento river [10,000] from personal hatchery on the new yorks hudson river. made columbia basin by 1880

Fish planted at the request of the first U.S./ california fisheries commissioner Spencer Baird who believed long rang migration did not occure or could not occure in shad. Proven wrong some years later by mother nature and her El Ninos.

The father of fish cultures bold experiment to see if shad underwent long range migrations

unusuall amount of El Niños [warm currents] occurred
during the 30-year period 1864-
1894. creating favorable conditions for migratory spread 600 miles north to the columbia river basin.

shad also stop to make home at russian, smith, umpqua and several other small basins along the west cost.

around 5 million annually for the columbia basin. the largest run Alosa run anywere in the US.

Dictionary definition…Alosa Sapdissima
noun
shad of Atlantic coast of North America; naturalized to Pacific coast


..."Sometime back around 1871 a man by the name of Seth Green brought a fish known as the American Shad to the west coast. He brought 10,000 fingerlings from his personal hatchery on the Hudson river in newyork all the way to the Sacremento river at the request of california fisheries commissioner Spencer Baird. Many years of El Nino currents gave this new resident just the boost they needed to migrate some 600 miles north and to the Columbia river basin were the largest known population of American Shad now exists. Sport fishing for American Shad is now common practice in the Northwest and offers fast action fishing for a hard fighting fish that will please anglers of all ages. Considered by many to be fine table fair, they are harvest by many of the Northwests diverse cultures helping to keep their numbers in check and under control. They have made themselves not only a home in the Northwest but they have become part of the natural balance in the Northwest food chain for more then just us. It is possible that the White Sturgeon another Columbia river resident enjoy’s eating the American shad a little to much for their own good.

Although they are not native to the Northwest, they are indeed here and they are here in force, so for now it is up to us to decide what we do with Alosa Sapidissima".....

Summery by Matthew Clark for Alosa Sapidissima film.



Check out this clip of Shad being hand fed to Sturgeon, showing the close relationship between the 2 fishes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS7KEePVoBM


Photos I took of sturgeon chasing shad on anglers lines.
http://www.smallstreamsalmonfishing.com/sssfimages/aggrogator/index.html

Some research text notes from these sites...good sites to learn more

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_shad

http://www.cbr.washington.edu/shadfoundation/shad/JOURNAL1/web.volume1.doc.html

http://wdfw.wa.gov/outreach/fishing/shad/shad.htm

http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/zone/underwater_sous-marin/shad/shad-alose_e.htm#life_history