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American Shad
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| American shad are widely
distributed along the Atlantic Coast, spawning in rivers from Florida to the
Canadian provinces. After spending the first summer of life in their natal
river, shad migrate out to near-shore ocean waters. It is thought that the
young fish join the coastal migratory population after age one. The shad’s
migratory route includes waters of the Bay of Fundy in the summer then south
to over-wintering areas off North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland. Shad reach
maturity at age four to six years. Spawning runs to southern rivers (Florida
and Georgia) begin in late winter and progress north through spring for rivers
to the north.
The current American Shad Tagging Program is a joint interstate effort where MFRO researchers team with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) Hudson River Fisheries Unit and the New Jersey Bureau of Marine Fisheries to study shad movement and harvest patterns along the coast. This work assists in developing management strategies for insuring the future success of the east coast shad stocks. Shad meat and roe have long been considered a springtime delicacy which supports both recreational and commercial fisheries. Historically, the fisheries have occurred within the river systems. But over the past 17 years, commercial harvest of shad increased in ocean waters. Prompted by subsequent changes in the Hudson shad stock, NYDEC began tagging in the Hudson River to explore ways to measure exploitation rate and annual survival as well as movement and harvest patterns in coastal waters. New Jersey joined NYDEC in the tagging effort to understand how the Hudson’s and other east coast shad stocks use lower Delaware Bay as part of their coastal migratory path. Tag returns have come from shad caught in South Carolina to as far north as the St. Lawrence River, as well as most major shad spawning rivers (Delaware, Hudson, Connecticut to name a few). One important use of both studies was to understand harvest patterns that occur in commercial fisheries in ocean waters. Such research is essential for the management of any species as impact of this ocean harvest on the individual stocks must be identified and managed for maximum health of all the east coast shad populations. Since 1995, nearly 12,000 American shad were tagged and released in lower Delaware Bay and in the Hudson River by the Cooperative Tagging Program . This successful tagging program will continue at these locations in 2003. Tagged fish can be recovered along their coastal migratory route ranging from Virginia to Canada and within their natal rivers. Any person capturing a tagged fish is asked to call the toll free number printed on the tag: 1-800-448-8322. Rewards of appreciation are sent out to individuals reporting these tagged fish. For questions or comments about the Shad Tagging Program contact Kathy Hattala with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation at kahattal@gw.dec.state.ny.us |
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