Shad, oval in length and flat on its side. It is about 24 cm long, and the largest is more than 50 cm.

Head: the head is flat, the front end is blunt, the mouth is large, the mouth is in an end position, the mouth fissure is inclined, the lower jaw is slightly longer, there is a notch in the middle of the upper jaw, and the back end reaches below the posterior edge of the eye. Gill rake

Fine. Scales are large and thin, with fine lines on them; There is no lateral line, and the lateral longitudinal scale is 41~ 47; Horizontal scale16 ~17.

Abdomen: The abdomen is narrow, and there are large and sharp scales on the ventral surface, which are arranged in zigzag edges. The front of the ventral fin is17 ~19, and the back of the ventral fin is12 ~15. The ventral fin is very small, and there are large and growing axillary scales at the base of pectoral fin and ventral fin. Dorsal fin17 ~18, the starting point is opposite to the ventral fin. Gluteal fin18 ~ 20. The caudal fin is deeply forked and covered with small scales.

Hugh's back and head are gray-black, the upper side is slightly blue-green luster, the lower side and abdomen are silver-white, the ventral fin and gluteal fin are gray-white, and the tail fin edge and dorsal fin base are light black. During the breeding season from April to June, shad swim upstream and spawn in the middle and lower reaches of the river. The food is mainly plankton, and sometimes other organic matter is also eaten. [ 1]

Shad-life habit

reeves shad

Shad is a migratory fish that spawns upstream, so it is named because it enters the river regularly every year. They usually live in the sea. Every year from late February to early March, the reproductive population migrates from the ocean to the river. From May to July, when the water temperature reaches about 28℃, they breed in tributaries of rivers or lakes with slow backwaters and sandy bottoms. The spawning time is mostly in the evening or early morning, and the parent fish still swim back to the sea after reproduction. Young fish enter tributaries or lakes for food, and do not descend into the sea until September 9- 10/0. The spawning grounds of shad in the Yangtze River are concentrated in Poyang Lake and Ganjiang River, a few of them go upstream to Dongting Lake and enter Xiangjiang River, and a few trace back to Yichang. In the Pearl River, it mainly lays eggs in the lower reaches of the Xijiang River, which can reach Guiping, Guangxi. Shad is a filter-feeding fish, mainly feeding on plankton, and sometimes eating diatoms and other organic debris; However, during reproductive migration, parent fish rarely eat. The age of sexual maturity is generally 3+years.

Shad-geographical distribution

The shad are migratory fish, and when they enter the river to lay eggs, the fish stocks are concentrated, forming a fishing season. The main producing area is in the Yangtze River valley, with more production in Zhenjiang and Nanjing, and the Xijiang River in the Pearl River can also be seen in the 70' s and 80' s..

Status of shad-species

reeves shad

In the process of spawning upstream, shad often form large groups. The annual output of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River was about 500 tons before 1970, and it was as high as 1500 tons in 1974. Over-fishing for breeding parent fish and feeding fattened young fish has caused a sharp decrease in supplementary population. In addition, the construction of the advection cascade hub project in Ganjiang, the main spawning ground of shad, blocked the spawning migration route of shad and destroyed the spawning ground. Due to several reasons, the resources of shad have declined sharply, and the population of shad has been in an endangered state since 1980s.

1988 was listed as a national first-class wild protection. Today, it is difficult for people to see the beautiful style of shad.

Shad-species value

The nutritional components of shad are as follows

Every 1 00g of food contains 65g of water, protein16.9g, fat16.9g, carbohydrate 0.2g and ash1g; Calcium 33 mg, phosphorus 2 16 mg, iron 2. 1 mg, trace thiamine, riboflavin 0. 14 mg and nicotinic acid 4 mg.

1. shad-flavored fresh meat is fine and has extremely high nutritional value, and it is rich in protein, fat, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, phosphorus and iron;

reeves shad

2. The fat content of shad is very high, almost ranking first among fish. It is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which has the function of lowering cholesterol and is of great benefit to prevent arteriosclerosis, hypertension and coronary heart disease.

3. shad scales have the effect of clearing away heat and toxic materials, and can treat sores, chancre, water and fire burns and other diseases.

4. shad meat is sweet and warm, which has the effect of nourishing the body and strengthening the body. Steamed food can make up for fatigue. The fish oil distilled from the fish is applied to the scalded area, and the effect is very good.

Medicinal uses are as follows:

"Compendium of Materia Medica" says that shad is "meat, sweet and non-toxic, which makes up for fatigue. Steam the oil, put it in a bottle and bury it in the soil. It is very effective to take it and burn it. "

Herbal Medicine for Daily Use: If you eat shad, you should not suffer. It is better to steam it with five flavors of bamboo shoots and buds with scales.

"Living with Interest Diet Spectrum": shad is sweet and warm, appetizing, moistening dirty and tonifying deficiency.

There is a saying in Guangdong: "Spring bream, autumn carp, summer Sanli". Sanli is the shad. The shad meat is tender, thick in fat, and contains a layer of unsaturated fatty acid, which has a unique flavor when steamed. The unsaturated fatty acid also has high medicinal value, delicious taste and rich nutrition. Every 100 grams of meat contains protein 16.9 grams and unsaturated fat 17 grams, which is rare in China. The saying of shad: shad is the most delicate. It is said that once the fisherman touches the scales of the fish, he immediately stops moving. Therefore, Su Dongpo called it "a fish that cherishes scales". Besides, the shad can't leave the water, and it will die when it comes out, so it must travel quickly to the capital to keep it fresh. Wang Shaotang, a famous critic, described the characteristics of shad in his book Song Jiang: "shad is the most charming. It loves the scales on its body. It leaves the water with a sound and dies at any time when it sees the wind and light. Live shad are hard to eat. The shad is called a nobleman among fish, and she has a unique personality. The shad is elegant and lofty, and it is rare for the world to get a glimpse of its fresh beauty, so she is so popular.