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Assessing the Sustainability of Maine’s River Herring Runs

Assessing the Sustainability of Maine’s River Herring Runs. Sampling Municipal Harvests, Local Runs, and Restoration Sites. Claire Enterline, Municipal Harvest Coordinator, Maine Dept. of Marine Resources Maine Fisherman’s Forum March 2, 2013. Reminder – 2013 Harvest Rights.

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Assessing the Sustainability of Maine’s River Herring Runs

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  1. Assessing the Sustainability of Maine’s River Herring Runs Sampling Municipal Harvests, Local Runs, and Restoration Sites Claire Enterline, Municipal Harvest Coordinator, Maine Dept. of Marine Resources Maine Fisherman’s Forum March 2, 2013

  2. Reminder – 2013 Harvest Rights Towns must send in harvest rights and harvest plans NO later than APRIL 20 Send into DMR: • Town article approved by selectman or town vote (however town approves articles) • Article stating that the town wishes to exercise their River Herring Harvest Rights, and stating whether there will be a Conservation Closure or refer to the town’s Harvest Plan • Harvest Plans may vary by town, but must follow the DMR guidelines Reminder sheets with more info in the back

  3. River Herring Populations: What’s the problem? Coast-wide River Herring Landings 1950-2007, NMFS • Greater than 93% DECREASE in U.S. commercial landings since the 1970s

  4. Maine Municipal River Herring (Alewife + Blueback Herring) Harvests 1950-2012

  5. Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission • The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) was formed by the 15 Atlantic coast states in 1942 in recognition that fish do not adhere to political boundaries. • Deliberative body, coordinating the conservation and management of the states shared near shore fishery resources – marine, shell, and anadromous – for sustainable use. • Healthy, self-sustaining populations for all Atlantic coast fish species or successful restoration well in progress by the year 2015. ASMFC.org

  6. ASMFC Shad and River Herring Amendment 2 Objectives of Amendment 2 for River Herring: • Prevent further declines • Improve our understanding of bycatch mortality • Increase our understanding of river herring fisheries, stock dynamics and population health through fishery-dependent and independent monitoring, in order to allow for evaluation of management performance. • Promote improvements in degraded or historic habitat

  7. ASMFC Shad and River Herring Amendment 2 Management and Implementation • Close fisheries (commercial/recreational) with exceptions for systems with a sustainable fishery • Habitat Conservation and Restoration • Dams, removal or fish passage • Water Quality • Stock Enhancement • Permitting/Re-licensing of Dams

  8. What makes a sustainable fishery? • Commercial and/or recreational fishery that will not diminish potential future stock reproduction and recruitment • Sustainability targets – State defined For Maine: • Self-sustaining population Not supplemented by outside stocking • Fish passage counts or estimations Harvest + Escapement over 235 fish/surface acre • Spawning stock biomass How many spawning fish are there? • Repeat spawning ratio

  9. Why are we collecting samples? To gather information to assess the sustainability of the run over time Repeat Spawning Age Structure Number of Fish 3 4 5 6 7 Age

  10. What information do we get from scales? • Species • Age • Repeat Spawning

  11. What do we NOT get from scale samples? Size of the run • Must be over 235 returning adults per surface acre of lake/pond • Estimated from harvests or by a fish count Escapement target (35 fish/acre) = 20,000

  12. Why does DMR take additional samples? • Length-at-age if not recorded by the harvester/volunteer • To make sure we have a sample if few/none are collected Age

  13. Species Information Alewife Dominate all harvests Spawn earlier (May) Spawn in lakes and ponds Blueback Herring Spawn later (early-mid June) Spawn in mainstem of rivers

  14. Why did we change to “River Herring Harvests” last year?

  15. When do we start seeing blueback herring?

  16. Why do we need to know the species? Alewife Blueback Herring Total Length (mm) Age

  17. Age Distributions and Length at Age

  18. Does length at age differ between sites? Damariscotta Mills Grist Mill Stream Card Mill Stream Wight Pond Dyer River Mean = 272 mm Mean = 269 mm Mean = 280 mm Mean = 289 mm Mean = 262 mm Length (mm) Age (years)

  19. Age composition Differences between runs can be due to history, harvesting practices, and environmental variability

  20. Age composition Between years there are changes in mortality at each site – need to look at multiple years!

  21. Repeat Spawning:When an individual fish comes back to spawn year after year

  22. Repeat Spawning – Differs between sites

  23. Repeat Spawning – Between Sites

  24. Repeat Spawning – At One Site

  25. What makes a sustainable fishery? Commercial and/or recreational fishery that will not diminish potential future stock reproduction and recruitment For Maine: Self-sustaining population Not supplemented by outside stocking Fish passage counts or estimations Harvest + Escapement over 235 fish/surface acre Spawning stock biomass How many spawning fish are there? Repeat spawning ratio

  26. Questions? Claire Enterline, Municipal Harvest Coordinator 172 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333 Phone: (207) 624 – 6341 Email: Claire.Enterline@maine.gov

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