River Herring Habitat Conservation Plan
Abstract
River herring (alewife Alosa pseudoharengus and blueback herring A. aestivalis, collectively) populations are at historic lows throughout most of the range (ASMFC 2017a). River herring are keystone species helping to support both marine and freshwater ecosystems. Although the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) recently determined that listing these two species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is not warranted at this time, the decision acknowledges the importance of restoring habitat and managing threats associated with harvest due to the low population numbers (84 FR 28630; June 19, 2019). NMFS emphasizes that ensuring connectivity between ocean and freshwater habitats is vital to support the long-term sustainability and growth of river herring populations.
River herring population declines have been driven by a myriad of overlapping and interacting stressors including diminished connectivity between the ocean and spawning and rearing habitats, degraded freshwater and estuarine habitats, fisheries, and climate change. Barriers to fish passage created by dams, culverts, and other human infrastructure are among the most detrimental impacts. Over the past several decades, efforts have been made by many agencies and non-governmental organizations to reverse these declining trends. Persistent low river herring population levels indicate that additional measures are critically needed to restore these species to some semblance of historical abundance. River herring were once broadly abundant in coastal watersheds, estuaries, and near-shore waters of the western North Atlantic Ocean. Their seasonal abundance, especially springtime fish runs in freshwater and estuarine habitats, supports a variety of vital ecosystem functions. Their migrations link coastal ocean waters with freshwater rivers, lakes, and streams. They serve as prey for many species of mammals, fish, birds, and other animals. Humans have exploited their seasonal abundance for millennia, first by Native Peoples and later, European colonists. These fishes offered a source of readily-available protein and, as a result, influenced many social, economic, and cultural aspects of past cultures and communities. More recently, river herring supported extensive commercial and artisanal fisheries throughout their ranges before populations declined precipitously over the latter-half of the 20th century. Today, remnant herring runs provide a sense of place, a connection to the past, and local pride for many communities along the Atlantic Coast. River herring stimulate economic vitality in coastal communities through tourism and recreational and commercial fisheries. Restoration offers the opportunity for organizations and communities to prioritize river herring recovery at the river, watershed, and regional scale that will ultimately contribute to coastwide benefits to herring populations. The portfolio of approaches employed by restoration practitioners includes strategies such as increasing public education and awareness, removing passage barriers to re-establish connectivity to spawning and rearing habitats, improving water quality and other habitat condition, and implementing science-based management measures, or more drastically, moratoria on fisheries throughout their ranges. To contribute to the effort to restore these iconic species, this River Herring Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) is a NMFS-led initiative to increase public awareness, stimulate increased impactful restoration and cooperative applied research, and inform efforts to improve both the quantity and quality of available spawning and rearing habitats throughout the range of each species. The HCP provides a review of a range of topics relevant to river herring restoration and management. Much of this information has been compiled from various state, federal, and regional documents with additional agency input. This plan seeks to consolidate this information into one source and provide a foundation for ongoing and future restoration actions.
This plan presents this framework and content in a user-friendly format with the intent of fostering strong support from fishery scientists, resource managers, restoration practitioners, fishing communities, and the public. In support of these objectives, this plan focuses on the Atlantic coast range of river herring, approaching these topics at a regional (New England, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast) or watershed scale, with pertinent examples at finer geographic or contextual scales where information is available. The plan provides a framework to inform and support efforts for restoring alewife and blueback herring populations throughout their native ranges with a focus on their spawning and rearing habitats. This plan combines information regarding life history, stock status, threats, and data gaps to inform a series of goals and objectives for the recovery of these species. It also collates references for regional/local management plans and describes several restoration project case studies to further inform future initiatives to conserve and enhance river herring populations. Due to the current state of river herring stocks, immediate and strategic action is necessary to restore populations in the face of multiple overlapping threats and challenges. This HCP marks another step in this much needed effort to conserve these important fishes.