This fall and through the end of January, NOAA Fisheries is conducting a voluntary survey of individuals who have harvested river herring (alewives and blueback herring) commercially, recreationally, or for personal use at any point in time over the past 20 years. The goal of this survey is to gather first-hand observations to inform our understanding of alewife and blueback population trends and help our efforts to restore these fish populations along the U.S. east coast. Commercial, recreational, and personal use harvesters have detailed knowledge of the fish in their local areas, such as changes in fish run timing, distribution, and individual fish size and species composition. NOAA wants to document some of this local knowledge in order to better understand river herring and their habitat.
NOAA intends to use the information obtained from this survey to cross-reference scientifically collected data to better understand trends and changes in river herring populations coast-wide. This information can help NOAA identify opportunities for additional research and restoration.
The Passamaquoddy people refer to alewife and blueback herring as “the fish that feed all.” This is because they are an important part of the marine and riverine ecosystem. They are a food source for countless species including other commercially and recreationally important fish like cod and striped bass, and numerous mammals and birds of prey. By moving between saltwater and freshwater, they also provide important nutrients to the habitats that they occupy.
Throughout the fall of 2014, NOAA Fisheries is conducting a voluntary, coast-wide survey of individuals who have caught alewives and/or blueback herring either commercially, recreationally, or for personal use at some point in their lifetime.
According to NOAA Fisheries project lead Dan Kircheis, the goal is to gather first-hand observations to inform our understanding of alewife and blueback population trends and help our efforts to restore these fish populations along the U.S. east coast.
“Fishermen have valuable knowledge about changes they’ve witnessed while fishing. They see yearly changes in fish run timing, abundance, distribution, individual fish size and species composition,” he said. “There is a lot we can learn from them that can help us in our efforts to restore alewife and blueback herring populations.”
What we hope to learn?
- Through the 15-minute telephone survey, we will ask commercial, recreational and tribal fishermen a series of questions.
- We will be seeking their insights on the following:
- Whether local alewife and blueback populations are increasing or decreasing;
- If the timing of the annual run has changed from previous years;
- If fish size is different than it was in the past; and
- The greatest threats to these two species’ long-term survival and how best to address those threats.
To learn more about the survey or to participate, please contact Dan Kircheis ([email protected]) or Julia Beaty ([email protected], 207-866-7262).
