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Home , Columbia River, Fraser River, Shad fishing

MFR PAPER 1285 Norman B. Parks is with the North­ west and Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 2725 Montlake Blvd. East, , WA 98112.

value as early as 1893 (Craig and The Commercial Hacker, 1940). The average annual for commercial landings of shad in the districts of and are shown in Table I. Catches were at their highest levels from 1926 to 1930 and in 1946 and 1947. Between I and 1.5 million NORMAN B. PARKS pounds (453,515 and 680,272 kg) were taken in each of these years. In spite of the fact that there has been enough shad The American shad, sapidis­ planted in the northwest's Columbia, sima, is similar in appearance to other Snake, and Willamette . No fur­ Figure 2.-West coast range of American shad. herring-like fishes and, with lengths up ther plantings have been made, so the to 30 inches (76 cm), is the largest successful establishment of shad in riv­ member of the herring family (Clu­ ers of the must be peidae) in North America (Fig. I). It is attributed to the 1885-86 plants and to an anadromous fish which in the spring whatever adults migrated into the rivers ascends rivers and streams to spawn. from the populations of the Sacramento The species is native to the North Atlan­ River and other locations south of the tic Ocean and coasts of North America Columbia (Craig and Hacker, 1940). from the St. Lawrence River region In 1891 mature shad were first taken southward and westward into the Gulf in the in of Mexico. The shad is one of the best and the in southeastern known fi shes of the U.S. east coast and Alaska, according to Welander (1940). a target of commercial and recreational He stated that the spread and the in­ fishermen (Cheek, 1968). It was intro­ crease of the shad along the Pacific duced to the west coast during the latter coast of North America has been one of part of the nineteenth century and soon the most remarkable in all cases of in­ became well established as a species of troduced species. Shad now range from commercial interest. This report de­ the Todos Santos Bay, Baja , scribes the introduction ofthe species to to Cook Inlet and Kodiak Island, the west coast; it also reviews the com­ Alaska (Fig. 2) according to Hart mercial fishery in Oregon, Washington, (1973). and British Columbia. HISTORY OF THE FISHERY INTRODUCTION TO The success of attempts to establish THE WEST COAST shad in the Pacific Northwest was in­ American shad were first introduced deed remarkable. First commercial from the east coast into California's landings ofshad were reported from the in 1871. In 1885 and in 1889, and the shad's 1886 a total of 910,000 shad fry were abundance had depressed the market

Figure I.-American shad, A/osa sapidissima.

February /978 29 in the Columbia River to support a in the Columbia River during the last 5 coastal waters and in . larger fishery, the catches of shad were years (1971-75) were less than half In addition, shad have been taken rather incidental and supplemental to those of the previous 10 years. commercially in the Fraser River in the Pacific , ( A commercial fishery for shad also British Columbia (Table 3). spp.) fisheries until the mid-1940's. exists in the same five rivers along the The main reason was that the run of where striped bass, PRODUCTS shad coincided with the run of sockeye Marone saxatilis, have been taken Although shad are regarded as a great salmon, O. nerka, and summer commercially (Fig. 3). These are the delicacy on the east coast of the U'nited , O. tshawytscha, Siuslaw, Smith, Umpqua, Coos, and States and demand a high price in the which have higher market values than Coquille Rivers. Mature shad were first markets of that region, they have never shad. Average commercial shad taken in rivers in in been favorably received as a food fish catches of 218,000 pounds (98,866 kg) 1882 (Welander, 1940). The commer­ by the people of the west coast (Craig cial catch data for shad in these rivers and Hacker, 1940). In recent years shad Figure 3.-Location of five began in 1923 when a total of 182,000 have been harvested primarily for the rivers with commercial fisheries for shad (from Mullen, see footnote 4). pounds (82,540 kg) was landed (Table eggs or roe of the females as there is 2). The largest catches occurred be­ only limited demand for shad flesh, al­ tween 1945 and 1951 when 789,000­ though it is considered quite palatable 1,339,000 pounds (357,823 to 616,326 by some despite a profusion of small l kg) were landed. Average commercial bones . Roe with the highest market shad catches in these rivers of 326,339 value consists of ovaries containing all pounds (148,000 kg) during 1971-74 immature opaque eggs (Hasselman, were well below average for the previ­ 1966). Small quantities are sometimes ous 10 years. Only during the 1956-60 frozen whole. However, the carcasses period were the average catches lower of females have often been sold for cat than those of the 1971-74 period. or mink food, for reduction, or for use Small incidental catches of shad are as crab bait, while the males are some­ made in Oregon and Wasington coastal times returned to the water at the time of waters and rivers, in , and capture. Recent prices in the Columbia in Puget Sound. These incidental River shad fishery are approximately 15 catches generally range from a few cents per pound for round roe sbad and pounds to a few thousand pounds and from 4 to 10 cents per pound for males, Table 1.-Average annual commercial landings (In are taken primarily by gillnets in the depending upon the quality. Prices for pounds) 01 shad In the Columbia River dlstrlC1a of Or. 1 gon and Washington, 1889-1975'. rivers and harbors and by trawls in male shad have been as low as 1/2 cents 2 Avg. annual Avg. annual per pound during some past years • Years landings2 Years landings Table 3.-Average annual commercial landings In 1889-90 68,000 1931·35 483,000 pounds of shad In the Fraser River dlstrlC1 of British DESCRIPTION OF THE FISHERY 1891-92 170,000 1936-40 295.000 Columbia, 1917-73'. 1696-1900 572.000 1941·45 545,000 Avg. annual Avg. annual 1902-05 189.000 1946-50 841.000 Areas Years landings Years landings 1906-10 357.000 1951-55 311.000 1915 581,000 1956-60 178.000 1917-20 6.200 1946-50 0 In the Columbia River, shad are 1923 334,000 1961-65 563,000 1921-25 1,060 1951-55 245,400 1925 665,000 1966-70 476.000 1926-30 700 1956-60 161,800 abundant in all of the lower portions of 1926-30 1,245,000 1971-75 218,000 1931-35 740 1961·65 56,200 the river in season. The gillnet fishery 1936-40 0 1966-70 47,800 'Sources: Pruler (1972) for 1689-1965: for 1966-75 from 1941-45 340 1971-73 44.000 Oreg. Dep. Fish Wildl. and Wash. Dep. Fish. (1976). normally extends about 140 miles up­ 'landings prior 10 1925 are known only for the indicated 1 Source: Fishery Statistics of -Canada Sum­ stream from the mouth of the Columbia years. maries. River to a commercial boundary Table 2.-Average commercial landings 01 shad from Oregon coas1al streams, 5 miles below Bonneville (Has­ 1923-74.' selman, 1966). The Camas-Washougal Average landings in pounds areas have often contri­ Years Siustaw Smilh Umpqua Coos COQuille Total buted from 30 to 50 percent of the total 1923·25 14.683 '349.981 51.582 178 416,424 1926-30 20,353 452,855 68,437 649 562,494 catch. Since 1969 small new shad fish­ 1931-35 41.240 293,696 101,152 10,029 446,117 1936-40 34,022 326,080 75,955 10.109 446,166 eries have been developed in 1941·45 51,901 396,329 196,866 10.211 655,327 River, Taylor Slough, and Youngs 1946-50 65,999 674,944 272,743 4,294 1,017.980 1951·55 34,185 179.061 239.679 142,330 14,960 610,215 1956-60 24,082 51,631 185,051 38,490 11,772 311,026 'Young, F. 1970. Biology of Columbia River 1961-65 23.644 45,829 383,326 90,085 32,302 575,186 shad and the development of selective commer· 1966-70 10,861 62.277 350,547 54,557 16.231 494,473 cial fishing gear. Fish. Comm. Oreg., Res. Div., 1971·74' 14,261 24,118 221,443 58,451 8,066 326.339 Prog. Rep., Jan. 1969-Sep!. 1970, 12 p. Type­ 1 Source: Mullen. R. E. 1972. Ecology of shad and striped bass in coastal rivers and . scrip!. Fish. Comm. Oreg.. Manage, Res. Div., Public law89-304 Proj., Annu. Rep. 1July 1971t030 'Pers. commun., Duncan K. Law, Assoc. Pro· June 1972.31 p. Typescript. 'Smith and Umpqua Rivers combined through 1950. fessor, Oreg. Stale Univ., Dep. Food Sci. Tech· 'Pers. commun .. Jerry Macleod, Aquatic Biologist, Oreg. Dep. Fish Wildl., , Oreg., nol., Lab., Asloria, Oreg., 13 August 12 August 1976. 1976.

30 Marine Fisheries Review Bay. These fisheries were initiated in an These include both set-nets and drift­ fisheries in the Columbia River and attempt to selectively harvest shad nets. More recently the gear has been western Oregon rivers. without endangering runs of summer restricted to shad nets with a required Since 1959 there have been dramatic 3 chinook salmon . maximum breaking strength to allow increases in the shad counts over Bon­ In the Siuslaw, Smith, Umpqua, salmon to break free. neville Dam as shad extended their Coos, and Coquille Rivers in Oregon, In the shad fishery on the Siuslaw, range far up the Columbia River and most for shad and Smith, Umpqua, Coos, and Coquille utilized the as spawning and for striped bass is conducted in the tidal Ri vers, there have been no recent rearing areas. Annual shad runs to the portion of each river, although nets may changes in the commercial fishing regu­ Columbia River usually average in ex­ legally be used in bays4. lations. The major regulations are the cess of I million fish, assuming that the In the Smith and Umpqua Rivers, same as those which existed for striped lower river populations have not de­ shad are only taken (in any numbers) bass and consist of fishing deadlines (or creased greatly since the construction within about 15 miles of the rivers' boundaries), gear type, mesh size, and of . Of these an aver­ mouths, although the commercial fish­ seasonal restrictions by river. Gear and age of only 140,000 were caught com­ ery is permitted to operate some dis­ season restrictions are primarily de­ mercially during the late 1960's, and tance farther up river (Gharrett, 1950). signed to protect spring chinook in the most of those were from the upriver early spring and steelhead trout, Sa/rna portion of the run (see footnote I). Seasons, Gear, and gairdneri, in the summer. Each fisher­ Studies by Walburg and Sykes Regulations man in the set-net fishery is allowed to (1957) on the Atlantic Coast streams Shad are present in the Columbia fish six nets while drift-net fishermen indicate that a harvest of at least 50 River beginning in late April and occur are restricted to one net. The fishermen percent is normal on intensively fished mainly as an incidental catch during the are required to sell all of their catch to a runs, while a maximum harvest of spring and summer salmon seasons. licensed wholesale fish buyer (see foot­ about 14 percent occurs in the Colum­ Peak catches are usually made at the note 4). In these Oregon coastal ri vers, bia River (see footnote I). time of the spawning migration which as in the Columbia, the shad are caught LITERATURE CITED occurs during the month of June. Roe in the late spring and early summer rather than flesh is the target of most when they enter the rivers to spawn. Cheek, R. P. 1968. The American shad. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv., Fish. Leafl. 614, 13 p. fishermen. Consequentl y, though many CURRENT TRENDS Cleaver, F. C. 1951. Fisheries statistics of Ore­ shad remain in the river after I July, the gon. Oreg. Fish. Comm., Contrib. 16, 176 p. AND FUTURE STATUS fact that spawning has already occurred Craig,]. A., and R. L. Hacker. 1940. The history and development of the fisheries of the Colum­ and roe is no longer available ends the The history of the gillnet fisheries for bia River. Bull. U.S. Bur. Fish. 49:133-216. fishery at about this time". shad has demonstrated that commercial Gharrett, J. T. 1950. The shad Both season and gear restrictions are quantities of shad cannot be harvested fishery. Fish. Comm. Oreg., Res. Briefs primarily designed to protect the run of with gillnets in Pacific Northwest rivers 3(1):3-13. Hart, J. L. 1973. Pacific fishes of Canada. Fish. summer chinook-in the same area and when salmon are abundant without a Res. Board Can., Bull. 180, 740 p. at the same time as peak shad abun­ large catch of salmon being taken. If Hasselman, R. W. 1966. The special 1965 Co­ dance-in the Columbia River. Fish­ methods could be developed to selec­ lumbia River shad fishery. Fish. Comm. Oreg., Res. Briefs 12( I):44-51. ermen in the main Columbia River have tively capture shad without harming the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and been unsuccessful in selectively har­ salmon runs, the shad fishery could be Washington Department of Fisheries. 1976. vesting shad without having a high in­ expanded and the catch increased con­ Columbia River fish runs and fisheries, 1957­ 1975. Oreg. Dep. Fish Wildl. and Wash. Dep. cidental catch of summer chinook. As a siderably. New drift-net fisheries have Fish., Status Rep. 2(1):1-74. result, a limited shad season is allowed been developed in , PnHer, A. T. 1972. Review of commercial each year in the main Columbia River Taylor Slough, and in an fisheries in the Columbia River and in contigu­ after the peak of the summer chinook attempt to find ways to selectively har­ ous ocean waters. In A. T. Pruter and D. L. Alverson (editors), The Columbia River es­ run passes beyond the shad fishing area. vest shad. These fisheries have pro­ tuary and adjacent ocean waters: bioenviron­ In the past, traps, seines, and fish vided some additional harvests of the mental studies, p. 81-120. Univ. Wash. Press, wheels have all been used to catch shad Columbia River shad resource without Seattle. in the Columbia River, but only gillnets catching salmonids (see footnote 3). Walburg, C. H., and J. E. Sykes. 1957. Shad fishery of Chesapeake Bay with special em­ are now used commercially (Cleaver, The lack of demand for and the low phasis on the fishery of . U.S. Fish 1951). Two types of gillnets are used. value of shad products other than roe Wildl. Serv., Res. Rep. 48, 26 p. have also resulted in reduced fishing Welander, A. D. 1940. Notes on the dissemina­ tion of shad, Alosa sapidissima (Wilson), "Young, F. R. 1973. Shad fisheries in the John effort. The shad catches, therefore, are along the Pacific coast of North America. Day River ( ), Youngs Bay, and largely incidental to the salmon Copeia 1940(4):221-223. Taylor Slough. Fish. Comm. Oreg., Manage. Res. Div., Info. Rep. 73-1, 3 p. 4 Mullen, R. E. 1972. Ecology of shad and striped MFR Paper 1285. From Marine Fisheries Review, Vol. 40, No.2, February 1978. bass in coastal rivers and estuaries. Fish. Comm. Caples of this paper, in limited numbers, are available from 0822, User Ser­ Oreg., Manage. Res. Div., Public Law 89-304 vices Branch, Environmental Science Information Center, NOAA, Rockville, Proj., Annu. Rep. I July 1971 to 30 June 1972, MD 20852. Copies of Marine Fisheries Review are availabfe from the Superin­ 31 p. Typescript. tendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 'State of Wash., Dep. Fish., Annu. Rep. 1947. 20402 for $1.10 each.

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