Alosa Pontica (Eichwald)

This shad is common in the coastal waters of the Black Sea and, in the summer months, of the Azov Sea. Russian experts have distinguished two varieties, one of which has an adult length of 30 to 39 cm while the other attains only 20 to 21 cm. The large variety grows faster, likes colder water, goes up rivers to spawn sooner and penetrates further upstream than its smaller brother. This is the one to which Bulgarians and Romanians give the misleading name ‘Danube mackerel’.