Can River Herring be the Positive “Pied Piper” of Diadromous Fishes?

Currently in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, there are three diadromous species listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act – Atlantic salmon, Atlantic sturgeon, and shortnose sturgeon.  River herring and rainbow smelt are considered to be “Species of Concern” by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).  NMFS recently reviewed the status of river herring to determine if they warranted listing under the ESA and is currently working on a proactive conservation plan to restore river herring.  Since river herring occupy a wide range of ecosystems along the entire East Coast of North America, identifying and addressing significant threats to river herring may provide important ancillary benefits to other diadromous species including those listed under the ESA.  One of the purposes of the ESA is to conserve the ecosystems upon which threatened and endangered species rely, yet resources to do so are often limited.  Thus, implementing multi-species, integrated conservation efforts and maximizing the efficient use of limited resources is encouraged. Case studies identifying the primary threats to the species noted above as well as possible solutions to those threats will be presented in order to determine potential areas of significant overlap.