The amount of floating fish is also reflective of the species that commonly swim in large schools. Thousands of shad died along the Belle River back in 2014.

MONCTON, N.B. - A native fish species believed to be absent from New Brunswick's Petitcodiac River for many years appears to have returned.

Officials say the fish kill was caused by low oxygen levels in the water, a normal summer occurrence, and there is no danger to the community. The city of Ottumwa announced a fish kill was discovered ...

The fish can grow to 1.5 feet long and up to about 3 pounds. They can live up to four years in the wild. It looks similar to the gizzard shad, a species native to Kentucky.

Old farts like myself, we’ll still talk about (shad),” said Albert Spells, a former employee of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of 40 years, who is now retired.

UPDATED: July 6, 2023 at 8:10 PM EDT American shad — fish that migrate from oceans to rivers every spring to spawn — are making a comeback in New England’s longest coastal river without dams.