Just wondering why there is no moratorium on herring . Are they just waiting till the fishery is totally depleted?

Welcome to S-B. What are the herring numbers in NY and NJ doing? Any trends?

Thanks for the welcome! I'm from mass but I would have to assume the numbers must be close to those of new england. I have seen tons of herring in my local runs in the years since the ban but I still believe the fishery is in trouble. I was hoping some anglers from new york and new jersey would chime in on the situation.

I don't think there are any restrictions on taking herring in any state south and west of CT. I have no idea what the populations numbers are for those states, and I've often wondered the same thing.

Is the real question:
What has caused the drop in population?
A. Habitat issues
B. Human predation at the runs
C. Midwater trawls
D. Something else

You talk to the commercial guys and they are saying NJ Herring runs have been good the last few years and they even have some penned today for sale in South Jersey so far... For the hook and liners I would say not so good as its a challenged to get any decent numbers..
We have a daily combined limit of 35 a day for both Rec.& Comm. year round with no size restriction..

It's weird,,I would have to say the runs are down.The ocean runs into the freshwater ponds are almost none existent.However the run in the delaware shows no signs of any trouble year after year.Same with some of the other tributaries in the south end of the state.
IMO,The few herring the fisherman take every year has nothing to do with the depleted stocks..

This is interesting, the runs south of New England have and ours do not. Maybe because of the mid-water trawls in the Gulf of Maine?

I have not seen the herring runs i,ve seen in the past for at least 2 or 3 years know.At least in monmouth and ocean county.Since they stopped the bunker boats the bunker population has really exploded i think they should put a moretorum on the herring and give them a chance to repopulate but that's only my oppion.

Some interesting reading was just released from the ASMFC in regards to the habitat of our marine life including Herring that need fresh,estuarine,and marine waters at various stages in their developement.. Problem area's include poor water quality,blocked/altered habitat and invasive species..
Here is the report - warning - large downloads
Diadromous Fish Habitat Report (http://www.asmfc.org/diadromousspeciesdocument.htm)