ale·wife 1 
(ālwīf′)
(ālwīf′)n. pl. ale·wives (-wīvz′)
A fish (Alosa pseudoharengus) of North American Atlantic waters and some inland lakes, which swims up rivers to spawn.
[Originally North American English, probably from alteration (influenced by ALEWIFE2, because the fish's relatively big belly distinguishes it from the herring) of obsolete English aloes, allowes, a type of shad (Alosa alosa), from French alose, shad, from Old French, from Late Latin alausa, of Gaulish origin.]