Dear Activist,

American shad play a pivotal role in their ecosystem - supporting many predators including striped bass, sharks, tuna, shorebirds and porpoises. Unfortunately, according to a 2007 assessment, shad stocks are at historic lows and the potential for significant bycatch losses - non-targeted fish caught and discarded at sea - in the Atlantic herring fishery continues to be a major concern.

In response to this dire assessment, on August 20 the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) released Draft Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Shad and River Herring (PDF) for public comment. The draft amendment proposes mandatory bycatch monitoring and calls for increased at-sea observer coverage and portside catch sampling so that American shad bycatch can be accurately quantified. In addition, a strong overfishing definition is presented that requires managers to consider all human-induced causes of shad mortality including bycatch as well as fish passage at dams and pollution. The current overfishing definition ignores these more substantial sources of mortality by focusing solely on directed fishing, allowing excessive mortality to erode shad populations.

An outpouring of public support is critical to ensuring that these measures are adopted into the final amendment. The ASMFC needs to hear from you!

Thank you for your help.

Peter Baker
Herring Alliance