Condition Metrics of Adult River Herring in North Carolina

Blueback herring Alosa aestivalis and Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus, collectively referred to as “river herring,” use North Carolina estuaries as spawning and nursery habitats. River herring stocks have experienced dramatic declines in North Carolina, and show no sign of recovery. In 2007, North Carolina enacted a harvest moratorium for all river herring fisheries in the state. We examined the gonadosomatic index (GSI), liver somatic index, Fulton’s condition factor (K), and stomach contents of ocean-going river herring caught during the 2009, 2010, and 2013 Cooperative Winter Tagging Cruises (CWTC) along with fish caught in tributaries of the Albemarle Sound.  Condition indices, diet, and sex/species ratios were compared between fish caught in the three separate years of the CWTC. These factors were also compared between ocean-going CWTC adults and estuarine individuals. As populations remain at historically low levels and management measures intensify for river herring, it becomes increasingly important study the overall health of populations and their interactions with habitats.