Shad Numbers Continue to Fall, Plans to Close Hudson River Fishery

[Joe D]

For Release: Tuesday, September 1, 2009
As Shad Numbers Continue to Fall, Dec Plans to Close Hudson River Fishery to Protect Dwindling Stock

Three Public Meetings Slated for September

With the American shad population in the Hudson River at historic lows, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) plans to propose closing recreational and commercial fishing for American shad in the Hudson and prohibit commercial landings in marine waters. DEC will hold three public information meetings in September to outline steps to be taken to save this historically important species.


In 2007, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission conducted a coast-wide assessment of American shad stocks, with New York biologists playing a lead role. The assessment concluded that the Hudson River shad stock has declined substantially since the 1990s -- and now is at historic lows. Juvenile production dropped to a historically low level in 2002 and has not rebounded. Hudson River recreational and commercial fisheries were restricted in 2008 with the hope that it would trigger some improvement in production of young American shad. Because no change occurred, the DEC plans to pursue fishery closures.


Commissioner Pete Grannis said: "We have been closely monitoring the Hudson's shad population and hoped to see signs of rebounding, but unfortunately, that has not occurred. A closure now appears to be a necessary step to prevent the potential permanent loss of this historically and ecologically important species. We will continue to monitor Hudson shad populations with the hope that they will rebound to levels that will allow the fishery to reopen."


At the same time, DEC will implement a Hudson River American Shad Recovery Plan to help rebuild the stock. The recovery plan (PDF, 112 Kb) is available on the DEC website. The plan outlines current and future studies to investigate the suspected causes of the stock's decline. Over-fishing, habitat loss, increased populations of predatory species and competition for food sources are among the many factors to be evaluated. At the public meetings, DEC staff will also discuss and explain the measures of the shad population status that would enable a reopening of the recreational and commercial fisheries.


Public information meetings are scheduled for:

• Monday, Sept. 14, 7 - 9 p.m., at Schodack Town Hall, 265 Schuurman Rd., Castleton-on-Hudson.
• Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2 - 5 p.m., at the Marine Resources Advisory Council meeting at the DEC Marine Resources Office, 205 Belle Mead Rd., East Setauket.
• Wednesday, Sept. 16, 7 - 9 p.m. at the DEC Region 3 Office, 21 S. Putt Corners Rd., New Paltz.

For further information regarding status of New York's American shad stocks (PDF, 80 Kb), please visit the DEC website. For additional information on these meetings, please contact the Bureau of Marine Resources at 845-256-3071 or 845-256-3072, or r3hrf@gw.dec.state.ny.us.

 

[rckrego]

STOP NETTING THEM BY THE THOUSANDS AND TURNING THEM INTO DOG CHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

or whatever they do with them. Its sickening.

 

[JeffK]

That depressing. Need to look at Delaware R shad status - I bet it is in a similar situation.

 

[JeffK]

Just checked 2008 reports. Basically, shad are at historic lows across the eastern seaboard with a couple of exceptions. Some populations are low and stable (ie Delaware) while most are low and declining (ie Susquehanna). Shad landings are down about 75% over the last 20 years; herring landings are down about 90%.

That sucks.

 

[Rusty Spinner]

The Lower Musconetcong River Restoration Partnership, which TU rejuvenated after the announcement of our Home Rivers Initiative on that river, is focused solely on the removal of the lower 4 dams for diadromous fish passage including American Shad and river herring. But if we don't start severely limiting or closing entirely the offshore fishery of herring, all our efforts will be for naught. Sure, the trout will benefit, but it is the other species that brings in all the federal funding we need to remove these obsolete dams and to restore these rivers to their historic ecosystems.

 

[Wbranch]

I live within six miles of the middle Susquehanna River and in early June, in prior years, you could go over there in the evenings and see lots of shad rising to mayflies. In the fall I would be in my boat and see huge balls of small YOY shad swimming around in the deeper water. For the past four years I've seen no rising shad and no balls of baby shad either.

 

[Joe D]

That depressing. Need to look at Delaware R shad status - I bet it is in a similar situation.

Jeff, see: http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/shad/fmpreviews/shad2007fmpreview.pdf

http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/shad/stockassmtreports/2007ShadStockAssmtReportVolumeII.pdf

 

[JeffK]

Sad. The view from 10,000 ft. The commercial catch for the whole East Coast from Maine to Florida was about 820,000 lbs in 2007 (about 655,000 lbs in 2006) falling from about 2.3 million pounds in 1985.

In the 1880's and 1890's the catch in the Delaware R alone was 10 million to 19 million pounds a year! I used to read about the fishing fleet at Upper Black Eddy on the Delaware and wondered if it was real. With those shad numbers combined with the sturgeon, herring, striper, eel, and white perch runs at the time it makes sense to my brain, but I find it hard to visualize such huge runs of fish. We have lost a lot.