American shad and river herring serve important roles in coastal ecosystems and were historically important species for recreational and commercial harvest.  Shad, for example, once supported one of the largest fisheries along the East Coast.  However, landings have declined from about 50 million pounds at the beginning of the 20^th century to 3.8 million pounds in 1980.  In 2007, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission declared shad stocks along the East Coast had hit all-time lows.  Similar to the American shad, Atlantic river herring populations have also declined as a result of harvest pressure, habitat modification, and restricted access to spawning grounds.  In response, major efforts have been made by various Federal agencies and virtually every state agency along the East Coast to restore these fishes, including stocking hundreds of millions of larvae in recent decades, reopening historic spawning grounds, and more effectively managing the fisheries.  The purpose of our program is to provide a context for the decline of populations along the Atlantic coast of the U.S., describe past and present efforts to restore populations and how restoration efforts are monitored and evaluated, and using case studies, to discuss why shad and herring restoration has been successful in some systems and why populations have not rebounded in others.  Declining shad and herring stocks are a concern to fisheries professionals over a wide geographical region, with Pennsylvania at its heart.  Thus the location of the 140^th Annual AFS Meeting in Pittsburgh provides a particularly good venue for reviewing the science and status of American shad and river herring.