On January 5, 2023, the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council okayed regulatory changes to the state shad fishery. Expected to be enacted sometime this month, the new regulations for shad fishing in New Jersey will be a six shad aggregate total, no more than two of which can be American shad.
According to Brian Neilan, Principal Fisheries Biologist with the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife (Division), the change in possession limits comes about due to findings by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) that American shad are in need of additional protection. “The Delaware River Cooperative, which is composed of the Delaware Basin states, had to develop some new management measures to address unsustainable adult female mortality in the Delaware Basin that was found to be the case in the ASMFC’s recent benchmark stock assessment for shad,” Neilan said, explaining that all states in the Delaware Basin (including New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware) have to reduce their rec creel limits down to just two American shad.
According to the Division, fishermen can keep six hickory shad (zero American shad), five hickories and one American, or four hickories and two American shad in the Delaware River. “There is still no possession of American shad outside the Delaware River, so fishermen can keep up to six hickory shad only,” Neilan said. “We are working with the Freshwater Fisheries folks to get these regs in place in the freshwater section of the Delaware as well to compliment the change on the PA side,” he added.
For more information on fisheries rules and regulations in New Jersey go to njfishandwildlife.com.
