Skipjack Shad - Distribution

Distribution

The Skipjack Shad is restricted to the Western Central Atlantic of the United States. This refers to the Gulf of Mexico and its drainages. The Gulf of Mexico Drainage includes the ACF (Apalachicola/Chattahoochee/Flint River) basin, the Mississippi basin, and the Rio Grande basin (Bowen et al.). Records indicate that this species was more abundant in the upper Mississippi River before it was impounded, and currently skipjack shad are most abundant in the upper Mississippi River below the mouth of the Ohio River (Neebling and Quist 2008). In recent years, human modifications to the middle Missouri River have made conditions more favorable for skipjack shad and their distribution has expanded upstream to the Nebraska-South Dakota border (Neebling and Quist 2008). Skipjack Shad were historically found in the northern upper Mississippi River and the St. Croix River; however, there have only been four records of skipjack shad in Wisconsin waters since the 1950s (Neebling and Quist 2008). Because this fish is a migratory species, dams have diminished its distribution. It cannot continue to migrate northward over dams; therefore it is rare to see a Skipjack Shad in the upper reaches of the Gulf of Mexico drainages.

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