Dorosoma cepedianum
(Lesueur 1818)
Family Clupeidae

Lateral view of a gizzard shad
The gizzard shad pictured above was collected in an Everglades drainage and is now a specimen in the Florida Museum’s ichthyology collection, UF 237956. Florida Museum photo by Zachary Randall

The gizzard shad is a member of the herring family. It has a very long last dorsal fin ray similar to that of the threadfin shad and a blunt snout. The gizzard shad has between 52 and 70 lateral scales. It can be found in runs and flowing pools of creeks and small to large rivers. This species is also often present in lakes and impoundments.

Status & distribution

  • Status — Native freshwater
  • Florida Distribution — Western and North Central and Peninsula drainages
  • River Drainages — Escambia River, Choctawhatchee River, Apalachicola River, Ochlockonee River, Suwannee River, Tampa Bay, the Myakka or Peace River, Lake Okeechobee, Caloosahatchee River, the Everglades, Indian River, the Tolomato or Matanzas River and the St. John’s River
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