National Marine Fisheries Service

• Main Authors: John Boreman, I Ntr, Oduc T Ion, Crossman Prince
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.423.5441; http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/publications/series/whlrd/whlrd8135.pdf

In this document, river herring is a term applied collectively to the blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) and the alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus). The coastal range of the blueback herring is from Nova Scotia to Florida (Hildebrand 1963). The coastal range of the alewife is farther north, from Newfoundland (Winters et al. 1973) to South Carolina (Berry 1964). In coastal rivers where the ranges overlap, the fisheries for the two species are mixed. Separation of the two species based on external appearance is difficult (Figure 1), and is usually based on eye size and color of the abdominal peritoneum (Scott and Crossman 1973). As such, landings data gathered on the two species typically have them lumped under the co-llective term "river herring." River herring have been subjected to intensive exploitation along the Atlantic coast. Landings have considerably declined in most coastal states during the past ten years, line in reported landings of American and parallel to a dechickory shad. In response to the observed decline, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has recommended that a comprehensive, coastwide management plan be prepared for shad and river herring (Bryson, pers. comm.). The purpose of this document is to summarize available information that can be used as a biological basis for such a plan. In addition, suggestions for future river herring research are presented.- 1-LIFE CYCLE Both river herring species are anadromous and are capable of completing their entire life cycle in fresh water (Scott and