Take Action to Stop Ocean Bycatch and Restore Shad and Herring Populations
July 7, 2010
Riverkeeper Team
American shad and river herring populations are at historic lows coast-wide. In the Hudson River the historic shad fishery, which dates back to colonial times, was recently closed due to dwindling populations, a tragic loss for New York State. Even in the face of increasingly restrictive regulations and habitat restoration, these populations have shown few signs of recovery. Ocean bycatch in industrial scale trawl fisheries may be a huge cause of this decline.
As vessels trawl for fish at sea, their gear also captures imperiled American shad and river herring. This bycatch may be a significant threat to the survival and recovery of these species, but the problem is mostly unmonitored and unregulated by federal fishery managers.
Send the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council your comment now! Ask them to take the lead on a joint, unified strategy that will address herring and shad bycatch so these critical species can be placed on the road to recovery.
