) in their early life cycle was observed and classified into larvae, fry and juvenile stages. The size of young fish during developmental stages was recorded. The larvae were (6.75 feeding activities began at 2 days of age when water temperature was maintained at (20multiple feeding behaviors. Larval American shad finished yolk-sac absorption 4 days after hatching. At this stage, swim bladder, vertebrae and fins presented, and larvae required exogenous food. After 36 days, a few scales occurred at the back of the operculum and on the lateral lines of fish, which indicated that larvae had metamorphosed into fry. Thereafter, fry developed into juveniles after 65 days, and their bodies were mostly covered with scales and their peritoneum completely developed. Understanding the morphological development of these early life stages could contribute greatly to the subsequent successful culture of American shad. Research results indicate that temperature, water quality, and initial feeding strategy are most critical to fish farming of this species. Therefore, the following criteria are recommended: water temperature should be controlled at (205 on the second day after hatching; cladocerans and copepods are the most suitable foods for fry of American shad. In addition, we developed a semi-buoyantWe succeeded in training fry to feed this artificial food for 21 d until they fed commercial products (floating pellets). Weaning of fry from the