Shad in Schools expansion, more volunteer co-op shad hatcheries

Dear Freinds and Members:

I wanted to share with you the encouraging comments from the PFBC  that are listed below. Hopefully, some additional proactive support for Shad in Schools expansion, more volunteer co-op shad hatcheries on the major Delaware River tributaries , the world-class shad fishery potential of the entire Delaware River Basin and a greater appreciation for the role shad play in the longterm sustainability of our economy and marine ecosystem will be forthcoming soon.

 

January 3, 2012

The Delaware River Shad Fisherman’s Association (DRSFA) is seeking the endorsement of the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen’s Club (PFSC) for selected elements of their Delaware River Basin Shad Restoration Plan.  The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s (PFBC) comments regarding this plan follow:

         The DRSFA states that the American shad spawning run in the Delaware River has greatly diminished over the past two decades.  We agree that the American shad run has declined since the early 1900’s.  Examination of our longest available time-series of data, catches from the Lewis haul seine fishery, clearly demonstrates this decline.  Relative abundance data of shad caught in our Smithfield Beach sampling also demonstrate a decline from highs in the early 1990s to a low during the early 2000s (Figure 1).  However, in very recent years (2009 – 2012), shad catches at Smithfield Beach have increased.  The 2011 and 2012 catch represented the sixth and fifth highest catches in the entire time-series (1990-2012), respectively.  Furthermore, website chat rooms are suggestive that shad anglers enjoyed exceptional shad fishing during the 2009-2012 shad runs.  While we agree that spawning runs have declined from historic highs, we also believe that the shad runs appear to be increasing to levels last observed in the early 1990s. 

The decline in historical shad runs was likely due to several factors.  One of the most significant influences was the existence of the dissolved oxygen (D.O.) block persisting in the upper Delaware Estuary at Philadelphia.  The cause of the D.O. block was untreated sewage from the Philadelphia metropolitan area.  The D.O. block typically became established in March/April and lasted throughout the summer into late fall (October/November).  Anoxic conditions occurred from bank-to-bank for several miles of river.  Essentially, only early arrivals of returning adults successfully navigated the block to reach their non-tidal spawning grounds; and only late out-migrating young-of-year shad were able to reach estuarine/ocean waters once the D. O. block dissipated.  Fortunately, improved wastewater treatment has produced significant benefits for the annual shad spawning migration and emigration of young-of-the-year shad. 

More recently, two other points of significant mortality to American shad have been cited as potential contributing factors to the declining shad abundance:  1) the offshore directed commercial fishery, and 2) the by-catch in Atlantic herring fishery and the squid, mackerel, and butterfish fishery.  In 2005 the directed offshore fisheries were closed.  Typically it takes 4-6 years for shad to return to their natal river as spawning adults.  We believe the recent increasing trend of shad abundance may be, in part, a response to the closure of the directed offshore fishery.  Increases in Smithfield Beach catches in 2010 corresponded to high year class production in 2005 that was untouched by the directed commercial fishery. 

The PFBC is highly invested in the management of American shad in the Delaware River Basin.  We are active in several interstate bodies which manage American shad and other diadromous fisheries.  Specifically, Pennsylvania is a member of the Delaware River Basin Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative (Co-op), the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.  In addition, we recently created a new position of River Biologist for the Delaware River to focus on fisheries issues for the Delaware, Lehigh and Schuylkill river mainstem waters.

As required by Amendment III of the ASMFC Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Shad and River Herring, the Co-op recently developed (February 2012) an American Shad Sustainability Management Plan (SFP) which has been approved by ASMFC.  This Plan demonstrates that American shad in the Delaware River is a self-sustaining population, which can support, to a degree, some level of both recreational and commercial exploitation.  To ensure the continuance of the shad population, the SFP requires annual monitoring of the population compared to defined benchmarks developed through the analysis of data available specifically pertinent to the Delaware River shad population.  Transgressions of any benchmark condition would result in changes in management to protect the existing population.  We encourage the DRSFA and PFSC to fully support the Co-op SFP.

The PFBC has invested significant staffing and funding to support programs for the protection and promotion of American shad populations in the Lehigh and Schuylkill rivers.  An unfortunate historical legacy is the continued existence of numerous dams throughout both river basins, particularly on mainstem reaches.  The PFBC has taken an aggressive position on dam removal, being a national leader in this effort.  Fishways have been constructed on most of the mainstem dams, but results are less than encouraging.  Since 1985, the PFBC has maintained an extensive restoration program to return self-sustaining shad populations, including the annual stocking of marked hatchery-reared fry into the Lehigh and Schuylkill rivers.  Limited shad runs do occur in the Lehigh and Schuylkill rivers, but they principally remain hatchery supported (Lehigh: 74%; Schuylkill: 96% on average) rather than becoming the predicted self-sustaining populations.  The PFBC has obtained funding from American Rivers - NOAA ($75,000) with matching funds from the Palmerton Superfund settlement ($75,000) to fund a feasibility study addressing potential improvement of shad passage in the Lehigh River.  Anticipated outcomes from this study, expected in 2013, will aid in guidance of our restoration program.  PFBC management of American shad populations in both the Lehigh and Schuylkill rivers are under restoration with limited permitted exploitation (i.e., catch and release only).

         A key component in the management of any fishery, inclusive of the American shad, is contemporary knowledge of exploitation on the stock.  Given that the entirety of the recreational fishery focuses on returning spawning adults in the non-tidal reaches of the Delaware River, we strongly encourage members of the DRSFA and PFSC to participate in our angler diary program for the Delaware River.  This information provides insight of the fishery and is directly utilized in the Co-op SFP for the assessment of management benchmarks.  Diary books can be obtained from our website (http://fishandboat.com/images/fisheries/delaware_river_journal.doc).

         While the PFBC does not support the notion of creating a shad stamp as proposed by the DRSFA Shad Plan, we understand the desire of DRSFA to create a direct funding source for supporting their management plan approach.  However, the PFBC is already invested in a Delaware River Basin management plan as previously discussed and will continue to use our resources to improve the shad fishery of the Delaware River.  Since an American shad stamp/permit would require legislative action, it will be included on our list of potential future legislative actions but is not currently a high priority for advancement.

         The DRSFA advocates the enactment of a “Public Protection Premium” and “no fracking zone” as measures to prevent natural gas development in the Delaware River Basin.  We agree that natural gas development should only proceed in a way that minimizes impacts to our Commonwealth’s natural resources. However, we do not believe that the Delaware basin is any different than any of the other major drainage basins in the Commonwealth where exploration and drilling are already occurring.  The PFBC has no direct control over whether natural gas drilling occurs in the basin but is prepared to monitor the effects of the drilling and production of natural gas should it be approved by the DRBC and/or PA DEP.

 

Thank You For Your Support!