Let's Go To Herring School!!!!!
Herrings
Note: This article first appeared in the April 1993 issue of The
Conservationist magazine. Recently updated. Authors- Eileen C. Stegemann
& Douglas Stang. Twelfth in a 14-part series describing the Freshwater
Fishes of New York.
source:http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7043.html
The Herring Of New York
It's the beginning of April. Early spring in New York State, the forsythia is
in bud and much is happening in our waters. From out of the ocean, the first of
the herring are finding their way home. After having spent many years out at
sea, their strong instinct guides them back to the freshwaters where they were
hatched.
Unusual among other New York freshwater fish, herring are anadromous, meaning
they spend the bulk of their lives in the ocean and only return to freshwater to
reproduce. Each year they return, migrating up large rivers in huge spawning
runs.
The first to arrive are the graybacks, known to most people as alewives. They
come by the thousands, swimming the miles quickly and darting past sluggish
river fish just waking from their winter's nap.
Not long after, the tiny blooms of white shadbush greet the schools of shad
making their way upstream. Their silvery iridescent scales are shaded with blue
and green, the colors of spring. The shad come in waves, strong with the tide,
slowing only a short while to taste the sweetness of the freshwater after the
salt of the sea. They press on north in the rivers.
Last to arrive are the bluebacks. They are greeted by the warming waters of
spring. The bluebacks seem to signal the lilacs to bloom, which add their purple
and white colors to the river banks.
The annual arrival of spawning herring has made them important commercial and
recreational fish species. Each spring fisherman head out to catch their share
of these tasty fish.
In New York State, the Hudson River is the largest river entirely within
state borders that is home to all members of the herring family. Freshwater
portions of New York's Delaware River also receive herring runs, but only after
the fish have traveled through bordering states. In addition, limited alewife
runs also occur in smaller estuaries on Long Island.
Herring are silvery iridescent in color with hints of pearly white, blue and
purple, green, and yellow. They have large black spots on their sides which
contrast with the silver.
Herring are built for speed, slender and slick. Sharp scales located along
the edge of the belly give them their nickname "sawbellies." While species of
herring are difficult to tell apart, look close for the details: a difference in
body size, shape of the jaw, and size of the eye.
As stated before, most herring are anadromous, spending the bulk of their
lives in the ocean and only returning to freshwater to reproduce or spawn. This
ability to move between salty ocean water and freshwater is no small feat, it is
tremendous stress on their bodies. The fish are here to spawn and do not eat for
the eight to ten weeks this process takes. Surprisingly, only a few never make
it back to the ocean.
When spawning begins, millions upon millions of tiny specks of golden-green
eggs are released to drift with the currents. Adult fish return to the ocean; no
parental care is given either the eggs or the young. Of the millions of eggs
released, only a few will survive.
By midsummer, young herring look like small versions of their parents. They
swim together in huge schools where there is safety in numbers. Often, these
young herring swim along shore, moving in response to the brightness of the sun.
On calm evenings, they give themselves away, leaping out of the water and
snapping at tiny insects at the water's surface.
As fall approaches and the rivers' water cools, these young fish head out to
sea. They remain there for several years before returning to spawn in the water
where they spend their first months of life.
Herring are plantivorous, feeding on the zooplankton (tiny animals) floating
in the water. Because of the small size of the zooplankton, it takes millions of
these critters to fill the herring up.
Specialized "combs" in the fish's throat (called gill rakes) enable herring
to strain the tiny plankton from the water while swimming along. Larger herring
eat other food as well, including larger larvae, small insects, shrimp, and even
small fish.
Ocean-run herring grow to a size that provides fun for the angler. While the
season is short, only six to eight weeks each spring, anglers enjoy catching
these fish.
American shad are the best known sport fish of the herring. They put up a
good fight when hooked - the trick is in getting one to strike. The smaller
herring - alewife, blueback herring, and hickory shad - can also be caught on a
hook and line, but more often are caught by small scap (or dip) nets.
Most herring are highly valued by the commercial fishing industry, with
American shad the favorite food fish. American shad are sweet in taste and the
eggs or roe are considered a spring delicacy. Alewife and blueback herring are
fished commercially in the ocean and used for pickling.
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The largest of New York's herring, American shad are very important
commercial and sportfish along the Atlantic coast. Their large size and long
jaw, which extends to behind their eye, distinguishes them from other members of
the herring family.
In the ocean, American shad are found along the eastern coast of North
America, from Florida to as far north as the Gulf of St. Lawrence in
northeastern Quebec. New York's shad are from stocks in the Hudson and Delaware
rivers and are part of what is called the mid-Atlantic population. This
population has a migratory range of thousands of miles along the Atlantic
coast.
In late spring, New York's shad head north along the coast to spend the
summer in the Bay of Fundy. Toward fall, they begin their migration south,
wintering off the coast of North Carolina and Virginia. In spring, the northward
cycle begins again. At this time, adult fish that are ready to spawn split off
from the main group and head toward their home river.
The habits of American shad in the ocean are not well known. Shad can spend
up to four or five years at sea before returning to their natal waters to spawn.
It is thought that these fish move off the coast toward the edge of the
Continental Shelf.
During spawning, shad arrive in large schools, running up the rivers where
they slowly adjust to the change from salt to fresh water. While a large number
of American shad run up into the Delaware River, the biggest run on the east
coast goes into the Hudson River Estuary. Historically, shad were also found in
New York State's portion of the Susquehanna River, as far upstream as
Binghamton. However, large hydropower dams built in the 1920s currently prevent
these fish from reaching this portion of the Susquehanna.
New York's American shad have been experience a severe reduction in the
numbers of shad that are returning to our rivers, especially the Hudson River.
For this reason, all fishing for American shad, including catch and release, is
prohibited in the Hudson River. Shad fishing is still allowed in the Delaware
river, but the
numbers of shad that can be
harvested are severely restricted.
Fishing for shad on the Delaware River is different than what was
historically possible on the Hudson River. Because the upper Delaware is much
smaller and clearer than the Hudson, shad are more visible to the angler.
Casting small spinners or kissing darts off the bottom of clear pools and runs
is often successful. Shad can also be taken by fly fishing. Best fishing occurs
in the lower East Branch and the main stem from Port Jervis to Hancock.
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larger image
Like American shad, alewife is an important commercial fish species on the
Atlantic coast. Adults average ten to 14 inches in length and weigh less than a
pound. Although they look similar to other small herring, their large eyes and
deep body easily identify them. Alewives have a short jaw that juts out when the
mouth is closed.
Spawning occurs in early spring when large schools of alewives move into
tidal waters from the ocean. These spawning runs begin slowly with only a few
fish at a time migrating in. As more fish arrive, they remain along the shore in
the main rivers. Spawning fish can often be seen swirling about in small
groups.
Young alewives are often hard to find, as they hide in weedy beds and deep
water during the day. Like shad, as fall approaches they leave the estuary and
migrate out to the ocean.
Alewives are found all along the eastern Atlantic Ocean from Newfoundland to
North Carolina. They follow the same general pattern of migration as shad,
moving north in early summer and south in the fall. These fish spend two to
three years at sea before returning home to spawn. It is thought that they move
off the east coast and wander over most of the Continental Shelf.
In New York, a large run of ocean-run alewives occurs in the Hudson River and
its tributaries each spring. Smaller runs occur in tidal creeks along Long
Island.
Although bony, ocean-run alewives are valued for pickling by many fisherman.
In addition, scapping (or dip-netting) for alewives is part of some people's
spring ritual. Large square or round nets are lowered into the creeks where
alewives run and the fish are scooped up as they swirl about above the net. For
the conventional angler, a combination of light tackle and a smaller version of
the shad dart in white, yellow, or chartreuse can be used to catch these
fish.
Unique among New York's herring, the alewife has also developed a separate
landlocked form of the species. The landlocked alewife is an important bait and
prey fish in the Great Lakes, Finger Lakes, and numerous reservoirs in New York
State's inland waters. Details on the landlocked alewife are found in a previous
article in
The Conservationist, entitled
Common Prey Fish in New
York. The article appeared in the September-October 1992 issue.
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Blueback herring are similar in appearance to alewives. Like alewives, these
fish have a short jaw, but unlike alewives, bluebacks have a small eye. If a
blueback herring is gutted, the black body cavity lining is another
distinguishing feature.
Blueback herring are the last herring to arrive in New York's estuaries, from
mid-May to June. While they used to be found only in tidal portions of the
Hudson River and its tributaries, in recent years bluebacks have expanded their
range (via travel through locks of the Barge Canal System) to include the upper
Hudson (above the Troy dam) and Mohawk rivers. A few fish have been reported in
Lake Champlain, Oneida Lake, and some have traveled through to Lake Ontario.
Blueback herring are found all along the eastern Atlantic Ocean from Nova
Scotia to Florida. They follow the same general pattern of migration as other
herring, moving north in the early summer and south in the fall.
Bluebacks are also similar to alewives in that they spend two to three years
at sea before returning to their natal waters to spawn. It is thought that they
also move off the coast and use the Continental Shelf as their home range in the
sea.
Bluebacks are an important commercial fish along the Atlantic coast. They are
valued for pickling by commercial and recreational fishermen alike. Scapping in
the tributaries to the Hudson River and in the Mohawk River is the main method
of fishing for these ten to 14 inch herring. Angling can be successful in areas
where these fish concentrate, such as below any dams in mid to late May. In the
Mohawk River, young bluebacks have become an important forage fish for valued
game fish such as smallmouth bass and walleye. Adult bluebacks in spring make
excellent bait for striped bass.
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image
Although smaller, hickory shad are similar in appearance to American shad
with a lower jaw that noticeable juts out. They are abundant in New England
coastal waters and in the Chesapeake. They are not very common in the waters in
between, which includes New York State.
Each year, New Yorkers catch a few hickory shad, usually in early summer in
the lower Hudson River Estuary. It is thought that these herring spawn in
freshwater, but not much is known about how many actually migrate into New York
waters.
Herring are some of the few freshwater fish species in New York State that
have a commercial value, as well as a recreational value. Since long before
colonial days, people have used and relied upon the large annual spawning runs
of herring as an important source of food. This remains true today, with the
state's commercial fishery for river herring and shad on the Hudson River.
While spawning runs of herring still provide us with recreational enjoyment,
as well as food, the years have brought many changes to these fish populations.
With European settlement and industrialization along our river corridors came
pollution. Even more devastating to our herring stocks was the construction of
huge cement hydroelectric dams that greatly reduce the suitable spawning and
nursery habitat available to these fish.
One of the largest rivers to experience such effects was the Susquehanna.
Beginning in the 1920s, a series of dams were built on the lower river starting
at river mile 10 in Maryland. This construction closed off one of the largest
rivers used by American shad. Historically, these fish traveled as much as 300
miles inland from Chesapeake Bay to spawn at Binghamton, New York. With the dams
in place, fewer and fewer fish came back each year.
Realizing that a valuable resource had been lost, state and federal agencies
began to work with the power companies to see what could be done to rectify the
situation. They began a restoration effort to bring shad back to their former
range. A fish lift was built to move spawning fish around the lower dam;
however, few fish were left from the original Susquehanna stock.
To enhance the restoration effort, young shad were stocked in the Susquehanna
River above Harrisburg, beginning in 1971. Over the years, eggs have been
collected from the Hudson, Delaware, Chesapeake and several other river systems
to provide young shad for the Susquehanna. The stocking program has had steady
success with increasing numbers of adult shad now returning to the Susquehanna
to spawn. Fish passage facilities have been installed in lower Susquehanna at
hydro facilities allowing American shad to swim upstream.
While the population of herring will probably never be the huge numbers of
before, it is encouraging to see that such restoration efforts can have a
positive effect. These efforts serve as examples to show us that if we are going
to succeed, private industry and state agencies need to continue to work
together in providing stewardship of our valuable resources.
Many species of fish look alike, making it difficult to tell them apart. In
addition, many types of fish have different common names in different parts of
the country. To distinguish one organism from another, biologists give each a
scientific name that is unique to that organism. The names are derived from the
Latin language and consist of a genus and a species. The genus name is first and
is capitalized. The species is second and is in lower case. Both the genus and
species are either underlined or italicized when written. While several
organisms in the same "family" share a common genus name (like family members
sharing a last name), they have different species names. Occasionally, two
members of a family are so similar that one is considered a subspecies of the
other. In these cases, the organisms are given two species names. Here are the
common and scientific names of New York State's herring:
Scientific Names of Fish Species
| Common Name |
Scientific Name |
| American shad |
Alosa sapidissima |
| alewife |
Alosa pseudoharengus |
| blueback herring |
Alosa aestivalis |
| hickory shad |
Alosa mediocris |
