http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=652040&category=SPORTS&newsdate=1/3/2008

Hudson herring, shad in trouble 
 
 
By FRED LEBRUN
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Thursday, January 3, 2008
 
Our Hudson River American shad and herring are in deep trouble.
In truth, shad and river herring, referring to both alewives and bluebacks, have seen a quick and precipitous drop in population along the entire East Coast. Recorded numbers are the worst seen since the 1880s.

Like striped bass, herring and shad are anadramous fish: They spawn in fresh water but live most of their lives in the salt.

Certainly any year-to-year Hudson estuary fisherman can confirm the decline of herring and, especially, shad.

It's gotten bad enough that biologists think it is time to act.

A recently published long-term assessment of American shad stocks in the Hudson reflects the trend. While biologists are confident overharvesting in the ocean is the primary culprit, there might be other causes that are not clearly understood or recognized yet. We don't know enough yet, except that we're in trouble. Stock numbers are so low there are some who feel they can't come back.

What is known is this: Maryland closed its American shad fishery along its share of the Chesapeake Bay entirely in 1980, yet only now are shad numbers starting to climb back. Recovery has taken that long.

Along the same vein, ocean-intercept fishing for shad within United States waters was closed in 2005. But the numbers still have not shown any improvement, according to biologists Kathy Hattala and Andy Kahnle of the DEC's Hudson River Fisheries Unit based in New Paltz who are authors of the Hudson estuary shad assessment.

So we can't count on the premise fulfilled by the striped bass come-back: Close the commercial fishery, and things get better. Herring -- shad are members of the herring family -- are more complicated.

The Hudson River problems with river herring and American shad will be the subject of two separate public hearings at the regional DEC headquarters at 21 South Putt Corners Road in New Paltz.

At 7 p.m. Monday, the DEC will host a hearing on behalf of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the first step in a process to amend the interstate shad and river herring management plan. That's bureaucratic speak for new regulations are coming.

No one can say what the final regs will be. There are a range of options from doing nothing to closing the herring fishery altogether, which a few states have already done. My guess is New York will follow the lead established by New Jersey and most recently Delaware and place a tight bag limit on the number of bait fish that can be taken by any means, net or hook.

Along the same lines, the NYDEC will hold an informational session at 7 p.m. Jan. 15 at the same DEC address on possible new regulatory actions for capturing American shad. This applies to both the few remaining commercial nets out there and the casual shad darter.

Again, the options are roughly the same as with the river herring, from doing nothing (not really an option) to a total ban. My hunch is, again, the state will first try new strict limits.

While doing what has to be done for the herring is paramount in what the state will do in terms of regulations, there are other considerations. Human ones. The economic consequences of shutting down shad fishing and the herring bait fishery are considerable. Fishing means money to the Hudson and Delaware valleys.

If you're a stakeholder -- and I feel I am -- let your voice be heard. Go to the DEC Web site for more info (http://www.dec.ny.gov). For directions to the New Paltz office, call (845) 256-3071.

Fred LeBrun can be reached at 454-5453 or by e-mail at flebrun@timesunion.com. 
 

 print