Everyone knows there has always been a suspicion that River Herring are being caught up in the Atlantic (Sea Herring) Midwater Trawl Fleet. Recently, Matt Cieri, a scientist from the Maine Department of Marine Resources presented a study suggesting that at-sea, small-mesh fisheries could be taking as many as 2.5 million pounds of river herring annually! With very low observer coverage on these vessels, almost none of the river herring bycatch is ever reported. Given that river herring runs throughout New England have declined by 95-99% and populations are at historic lows, continued at-sea fishing mortality is a huge threat to this important forage species.
Now is the time for citizens to speak up and express their concern about river herring. The Atlantic States Marine Fishery Commission is currently working on an amendment to the interstate River Herring Management Plan that could vastly improve the monitoring and regulations of the small mesh fleets especially the sea herring fishery. The sea herring fishery can land over 1.5 million pounds of sea herring per trip. Although they are targeting sea herring, river herring may also be mixed in (sea herring and river herring are related, but not the same species). Managers can not accurately account for the impact the sea herring fishery is having on river herring and they need to set regulations to change this.
The plan will also urge states to improve spawning habitat, fish ladders and complete studies to determine the size and health of the river herring stock.
The Commission needs to understand the importance of immediate action. There are a number of scheduled public hearings on this amendment, which will provide interested groups and citizens a forum to be heard. If you can not attend the hearings, they are also accepting written comments.
We encourage you to attend the nearest meeting (dates and locations below) and support increased monitoring and limits on the amount of river herring, sea herring vessels can catch and land. If you can’t attend one of these meetings in person, please take a moment to email written comments to
comments@asmfc.org.
Be sure to let the Commission know that you support:
• 100% observer coverage on the high-volume herring fleets
• Limits on the number of pounds of river herring taken per-trip and limits to how much river herring is taken annually by at sea fisheries
• Closures to keep vessels and small mesh gear out of areas where they are likely to catch high numbers of river herring
• Initiatives to improve critical river herring spawning habitat and migration corridors
• River herring stock assessment to determine their population size and health
Thank you for being a river herring supporter! It is time to hold at sea fisheries accountable for their river herring catch.
11/18 (6:00 PM):
ASMFC Public Hearing on Draft Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for River Herring, Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife, URI Narragansett Bay Campus, Corless Auditorium, 215 South Ferry Road, Narragansett, Rhode Island . For more information, please contact Phillip Edwards at (401) 789-0281.
12/1 (6:00 PM):
ASMFC Public Hearing on Draft Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for River Herring, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, Plymouth Radisson, 180 Water Street, Plymouth, Massachusetts. For more information, please contact Melanie Griffin at (617) 626-1528.
12/2 (6:00 PM):
ASMFC Public Hearing on Draft Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for River Herring, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, Annisquam River Marine Fisheries Station, 30 Emerson Avenue, Gloucester, Massachusetts. For more information, please contact Melanie Griffin at (617) 626-1528.
12/2 (6:00 PM):
ASMFC Public Hearing on Draft Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for River Herring, Maine Department of Marine Resources, Wiscasset High School, 272 Gardinner Road, Wiscasset, Maine. For more information, please contact Terry Stockwell at (207) 624-6553.
12/8 (6:00 PM):
ASMFC Public Hearing on Draft Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for River Herring, Maine Department of Marine Resources, Ellsworth High School, 299 State Street, Ellsworth, Maine. For more information, please contact Terry Stockwell at (207) 624-6553.
12/11 (6:00 PM):
ASMFC Public Hearing on Draft Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for River Herring, Maine Department of Marine Resources, University of Maine Machias Science Center, 9 O’Brien Avenue, Machias, Maine. For more information, please contact Terry Stockwell at (207) 624-6553.
Threaded Mode