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gaspereau
[< Acadian French]
DCHP-3.1 (Sep 2026)
Spelling variants:Gaspereau, gaspereaux, gasperot
n. — Maritimes
a bony species of herring, Alosa pseudoharengus.
Type: 1. Origin — The term derives from the Acadian French Gasparot, first mentioned in French explorer Nicolas Denys' 17th-century account of Acadia (see the 1672 quotation). An unsubstantiated tale on the origin of the word suggests that Gaspereau is a combination of Gasper, the name of an Acadian man buried by a river, and eau, the French word for water (see the 1897 quotation).
The term is also a Type 5-Frequency Canadianism as it is almost exclusively attested in Canada (see Chart 1). Gaspereau are known as alewives and kiacks in different parts of Canada and the world.
The term is also a Type 5-Frequency Canadianism as it is almost exclusively attested in Canada (see Chart 1). Gaspereau are known as alewives and kiacks in different parts of Canada and the world.
Quotations
1672
[Pour du Hareng, il n'en ont pas beaucoup, mais bien du Gasparot, qui est une espece qui n'est pas si bon a beaucoup pres.]
1703
Gasperots, a small fish like a Herring.
1873
[...] also to determine the occurence in Newfoundland of such species as the shad, the gaspereau, the striped bass, and others.
1897
Legend says is a compound of Gasper and eau. Gasper was a gentleman who died on his way to Acadia and was buried near the mouth of the river. Eau is the French word for water; hence the water near his grave was called Gasper-eau, i.e. Gasper water – Gaspereau. Others say it takes its name from a river in France and is sometimes spelt with an x, eaux, the plural for water.
1912
The gaspereaux . . . is mostly used as a bait fish, but considerable quantities are salted for food.
1964
Your editorial . . . of May 22, "They're Running," concerning the migration of the "kayak or gaspereaux," attracted my attention.
1980
This year the sales will involve oily mackerel and bony gaspereau - fish that Canadians won't buy.
1993
Annual shipments total 80,000 eight-kilogram boxes of smoked herring, and 5,000 230-kg pails of alewives -- also known as gaspereau.
2002
The gaspereau is also called the alewife in some areas. Another local name that is used in some Maritime regions is kiack.
2010
And they are finding an abundance of gaspereau, also known as alewife, river herring, sawbelly, or kiack.
2015
Once in Barrington, N.S., I witnessed the celebration of people at a dam catching gaspereau, which I called alewives and McDorman's people called kiack.
2020
The dead gaspereau - also known as alewife, or river herring - were seen floating along the banks of the St. John River Tuesday.
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