Anadromous fish Chesapeake Bay Glossary Glossary and Key Word List Definition: Fish that spend their adult lives in salt water but must migrate to freshwater tributaries to spawn. For example, Atlantic sturgeon and American shad are both anadromous fish. Anadromous Fish EPA EV-Biological Substances-Animals-Animal Characteristics Taxonomy Definition 1: Those species of fish which mature in the sea, and migrate into streams to spawn. Salmon, steelhead, and shad are examples. (U.S. Forest Serv. 1963. FSM 2605, Sept. 1974) [USDA Forest Service Wildland Planning Glossary] Definition 2: Fish that spend their adult lives in salt water but must migrate to freshwater tributaries to spawn. For example, Atlantic sturgeon and American shad are both anadromous fish. [Chesapeake Bay Glossary]