River Herring and American Shad Bycatch Avoidance in Atlantic Herring and Mackerel Mid-Water Trawl Fisheries

Managers of the Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) and mackerel (Scomber Scombrus) fisheries have added river herring bycatch (Alosa pseudoharengus, Alosa aestivalis) reduction as a management goal and are currently considering adding regulations to reduce or cap river herring bycatch. This collaborative project between the Sustainable Fisheries Coalition, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School of Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) seeks to reduce river herring and shad bycatch without any changes to the current management or enforcement policies; aiding in the effort to rebuild river herring and shad (Alosa sapidissima) populations without the cost of management action to fishermen. The project involves increasing portside sampling of Atlantic herring and mackerel fishing vessels landing in Massachusetts to at least 50%, creating a near real time information system on the location of river herring and shad bycatch events between the mid-water trawl fleet and SMAST, and a model that identifies favorable ocean conditions for all five in space and time. The first real time information system was implemented during the 2011 winter mid-water trawl fishery (January through March) over an approximately 60x70 nm area off the coast of New Jersey. Bycatch information in this area was accessed and shared with captains using a coded, grid system of smaller cells approximately 5x8 nm (10' longitude x 5' latitude). Apparent small scale spatial and temporal patterns and industry cooperation during the 2011 winter fishery suggests this system may be effective at reducing river herring bycatch. Initial plots of environmental factors suggest river herring bycatch may be associated with shallow depths and specific temperature ranges.