The biology of the twaite shad, Alosa fallax fallax (Lacépède), in the Severn Estuary

Abstract

The estuarine biology of the twaite shad was studied in the Severn Estuary. Adults enter the estuary at the start of the freshwater phase of their spawning migration between April and June. Peak immigration generally occurs in May and is associated with temperatures in the range 10.6–12.3°C. The mean (±s.d.) instantaneous mortality rate for the mature population was 0.53±0.18. The effect of additional mortality on the spawning population was modelled assuming constant recruitment and no density‐dependent effects.Juvenile twaite shad are present in the estuary from July until they emigrate seaward during the autumn. A portion of these fish re‐enter the estuary the following April–May and remain until late summer/early autumn before once more migrating seaward.The 0 + age group feed mainly on harpacticoid and calanoid copepods and mysids, the relative preponderance of these in the diet being apparently related to tidal conditions. The possible implications of the proposed tidal power barrage in the Severn Estuary on the twaite shad population are discussed in relation to movement, diet and additional mortality of the mature population.