The News Journal 05/24/2015 Copy Reduced to %d%% from original to fit letter page Page : A01

SUNDAY NEWS JOURNAL DELAWAREONLINE.COM SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2015 31A With dam gone, will shad return?

MOLLY MURRAY THE NEWS JOURNAL

For most of their lives, shad – a group of fish in the the herring family – live in the ocean. But each spring – or so the story goes – as the shadbush bursts into bloom, they run up the Bay, into the river and tributaries like the White Clay Creek, where, drawn by fresh water, the fish spawn. Or that’s the way it’s supposed to go. Since colonial times, manmade dams have blocked the passage of shad to his- toric spawning grounds on the White Clay Creek. With one of those dams now gone, there’s one big question, said Gerald Kauffman, director of the Water Re- source Agency at the University of Dela- ware: “Will they return?” SUCHAT PEDERSON/THE NEWS JOURNAL In mid-April, after a few 80-degree Byrnes Mill Dam on the White Clay Creek has been removed to restore fish passage up the creek. The dam was blocking the upstream movement days, Kauffman went out to check the of American and hickory shad, fish with a long history in the region. creek. The water temperature was 66 de- grees and it was a sunny day. He didn’t find schools of fish everywhere he If you see shad or catch one on the White Clay looked, but he did find shad. Creek, Jerry Kauffman, director at the Water The following day, a team went snor- Resources Agency at the University of Dela- keling on the White Clay in search for ware, would like to know about it. And if you shad. While they didn’t find fish, there snap a picture, that will help identify the was a promising sign: a single shad scale species. Send Jerry an email at jer- on the bottom. [email protected]. Then it rained and got cold. The water temperature dropped. No sign of the elu- sive silver fish, prized for its row and The Water Resources Agency, with flesh. $190,000 in grants from American Riv- Kauffman is still looking and hoping ers; the National Oceanic and Atmos- for reports from recreational anglers. pheric Administration Community- Shad can spawn from March through based Restoration Program; the Nation- June, depending on water temperatures. COURTESY OF DANIELLE QUIGLEY al Fish and Wildlife Foundation; the Fish- State fisheries officials have no mon- Gerald Kauffman, director of the Water Resource Agency at the University of Delaware, takes America Foundation; and the National itoring plans for the White Clay during measurements before the dam on the White Clay Creek was removed. Park Service removed White Clay Creek this spawning season. With limited staff, Dam 1 built by Daniel Byrnes. they are instead monitoring striped bass University of Delaware historians spawning in the . White Clay to a free-flowing river in Del- Typically, the fish spawn when the found that the 100-foot-long dam, built by “We’re waiting for somebody to catch aware. That doesn’t mean removing all water temperature is between 55 and 68 Daniel Byrnes, was constructed to pow- one,” Kauffman said. the dams. In some cases, Kauffman be- degrees. er a mill at the Hale-Byrnes House. Shad are native to the East Coast and lieves they will be able to cut out notches When Kauffman saw the fish, the wa- The dam was hand-built and Univer- are found from Newfoundland to Flori- that will be wide enough to create fish ter temperature was 66 degrees but sity of Delaware researchers are study- da. But they are most abundant from passageways and re-establish spawning. heavy rain and colder temperatures ing the timbers that were removed for North Carolina to Connecticut. They are American shad spend most of their caused the temperature to drop to 53 clues to the construction methods and found in all major mid-Atlantic rivers, lives in the Atlantic Ocean and return to over a few days. materials. Part of the dam remains as a but their migration has been limited by freshwater rivers to spawn. Fisheries White Clay Creek flyfisher Edward reminder of the past. two factors: water pollution and dams. scientists believe that they once O’Donnell walked the banks with Kauff- Meanwhile, Kauffman is optimistic As water quality improved in the Dela- spawned in every river and tributary man, looking for a glint of silver. the shad will return. One spring day a ware River, the fish were able to migrate along the mid-Atlantic Coast. They were But there were no fish. few years ago, he visited the dam site north to historic spawning areas. The just as important on the Chesapeake Bay The historic Hale-Byrnes dam, built and saw hickory shad everywhere on one Delaware is unaltered by dams that as they were in the Delaware. Commer- in 1777, was removed late last year. The side of the dam. On the other side, there would block fish passage. cial shad boats worked the Nanticoke project was years in the making. With were none. But there are dams along many of the River in Seaford. The Nanticoke is a trib- the timbers removed, the creek was “They were literally hitting their tributaries. Along the White Clay, Kauff- utary of Chesapeake Bay. The Nanticoke opened up and connected another 3.5 heads on the dam trying to swim up- man estimates this species of fish has is a free-flowing river, too. Shad typical- miles of White Clay Creek to the tidal stream,” he said. been unable to reach spawning grounds ly migrate far enough upstream to , which flows to the Dela- since colonial times, when the first dams spawn so the eggs hatch in freshwater. ware River. This dam removal was the Reach Molly Murray at 463-3334 or were built to provide power for mills. The eggs will drift downstream toward first of seven planned along the creek [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter The plan is to ultimately restore the salt water. within its Delaware reach. @MollyMurraytnj.

5RRÀQJ‡6LGLQJ‡:LQGRZV‡'RRUV‡*XWWHUV‡5HSDLUV‡%DWKV 0RUH +RPH5HSDLU6SHFLDO -XVW6SULQJ6SUXFH8S ,Q)HEUXDU\ 5HSDLU6SHFLDO-XVW 

Copyright © 2015, The News Journal. All rights reserved. Users of this site agree to the Terms Mayof Service 24, 2015 and 4:56 Privacy pm / Powered Policy/Your by TECNAVIA California Privacy Rights (Terms updated March 2007). 05/24/2015

  MYVT [OL JYV^K +HUH·V+RZ 6SULQJ ,W:RUNV 6SUXFH8S (SS VM [OL ILH\[` UVUL VM [OL ^VYR ‡: :HVHQGRXWRQHRIRXU 5HSDLU6SHFLDO I IXOO\WUDLQHG5HSDLU([SHUWV $Q\0LQRU5RR¿QJ6LGLQJ RU*XWWHU5HSDLU # % #   "!"% ‡: :HZLOOGLDJQRVH\RXU 6RPHUHVWULFWLRQVDSSO\0XVWEHPHQWLRQHG   %   DWWLPHRIVFKHGXOLQJ&DQQRWEHFRPELQHGZLWK  SUREOHPDQGUHYLHZWKHLU RWKHURIIHUV1RWYDOLGRQSUHYLRXVO\FRQWUDFWHG ZRUN([SLUHV $  "! ! # % # !  ¿QGLQJVZLWK\RX RI $  " !   ! !! $%  DOOUHSDLUVZHHYDOXDWHFDQ !     %"  # !  EH¿[HGWKDWGD\IRU     !  ! $  " ‡,Q, ,QWKHHYHQW\RXULVVXHFDQ¶WQ $  "!"   E EHUHSDLUHGIRU\RX 6HPL$QQXDO  "   $!"!  DUHJLYHQPXOWLSOHRSWLRQV *XWWHU&OHDQ 6SHFLDO #  !     "   ZLWKQRREOLJDWLRQRUFKDUJH %" %   %"  &OHDQWKRVHFORJJHGJXWWHUV%()25( ,W·VMXVWWKDWVLPSOH WKH\FDXVHGDPDJHWR\RXUKRPH !"! !  !!    0D[LPXPRI/LQHDUIHHW*XWWHUJXDUGVFRXOG %" $      ! ! &DOO3 -  WRGD\ UHTXLUHDGGLWLRQDOFKDUJHV([SLUHV " !   ! %  !" !!   !  ! # !     ! "!  ! $        WINDOWS SIDING ROOFING DOORS BATHS            (MMPSPH[LK ^P[O :PTWZVU :LUPVY :LY]PJLZ         ‡ZZZWWMWUXVWSMFRP  .YLLUIYPHY 3HUL ‹ >LZ[ .YV]L 7(    1-/LF9+'(/LF3$/LF3$0'/LF %DWK3$'(1-9+ )RUFRPSOHWHGHWDLOVVHHZZZWUXVWSMFRPVSHFLDOV    ‹ ^^^QLUULYZWVUKVYN

NJ-0000756717