Shad

Like alewives, the anadromous shad are found running up freshwater rivers in the spring, originally along the East Coast from the South to the North and, after their introduction in 1871, along the West Coast as well. Although shad are very bony and oily, their great plenty in colonial times and the relative ease of catching them during their upstream migration made them welcome. Particularly prized was the roe from the females, and cookbooks from the 1800s provide many recipes for preparing roe. Some early sources say that buck (male) shad were thrown back as unmarketable.