Blueback Herring Alosa Aestivalis

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Blueback Herring Alosa aestivalis Blueback Herring (Alosa Description aestivalis) is a small to medium fish reaching 15 inches in length. These fish are anadromous, meaning they move upstream to spawn, but spend most of their life in the ocean. They have a deep silvery body with keeled belly scales. Blueback herring are differentiated from the similar alewife by the blueback’s smaller eye and blue-grey sheen on its back. Image credit: Dave Neely Like most shad and herring, Range/Habitat bluebacks spend their life at sea and travel up freshwater rivers every spring to spawn. Herring travel up to 1200 miles to reach their spawning grounds. Blueback herring can be found along the East Coast of the United States and Canada from Nova Scotia all the way to Florida. In Maryland, herring utilize most of the larger tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay, traveling upstream until they reach the first major river blockage or their spawning grounds. Herring serve as an General Information important food source for numerous gamefish including striped bass and bluefish, as well as supporting their own commercial fishery. In 1931, 25 million pounds of blueback herring and alewife were harvested from Maryland waters. This represents the second largest harvest of finfish in the Chesapeake Bay and the largest ever from Maryland. Since 1970, Herring catches have dropped dramatically. These declines can be attributed to reductions in spawning habitat as a result of dams and other impoundments of freshwater rivers, reduced waterquality, and increased sediments. Above: Maryland DNR biologists electrofish at the Bloede Dam on the Patapsco River. Teams investigated the presence of blueback herring and their use of a fish ladder to move upstream of the dam..

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Important Northeast Fish Provides Bait & Forage Needs
Species Profile: Atlantic Herring Atlantic Herring Clupea harengus Important Northeast Fish Provides Bait & Forage Needs Introduction Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) is a member of the clupeid family, which are typically small, schooling marine fishes, such as menhaden, shad, and sardines. This species is also known as sea herring because it spends its entire life cycle in the ASMFC Management Area: ME - NJ ocean (unlike the anadromous river herring). Atlantic herring inhabits the coastal Common Names: Sea herring, sar- waters of the United States from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina through Labra- dine, herring dor, Canada, and also off the coasts of Europe. Herring form the base of the food web as a forage fish for marine mammals, seabirds, and many fish throughout the Interesting Facts: * Atlantic sea herring are often Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. They are an effective and affordable bait source for confused with river herring. Sea lobster, blue crab, and tuna fishermen, and were historically sold by fish canneries herring spend their entire life at as sardines. Whale watching/ecotourism and salt retailers are indirectly dependent sea, while river herring migrate on a steady supply of herring because whales migrate inshore in pursuit of schooling annually to freshwater to spawn. * Atlantic and Pacific herring have herring and fishermen buy salt to preserve their fish. Overseas, frozen and salted been found to produce a burst herring are a valued commodity. of sound, called a Fast Repetitive Tick, at night. Its believed that The Commission’s Atlantic Herring Section manages herring in state waters (0 - 3 this high-pitched click-like sound miles from shore), while the New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is used by herring to signal their location, thereby making it easier regulates the stock in federal waters (3 - 200 miles from shore).
[Show full text]
Alewives and Blueback Herring Juila Beaty University of Maine
The University of Maine DigitalCommons@UMaine Maine Sea Grant Publications Maine Sea Grant 2014 Fisheries Then: Alewives and Blueback Herring Juila Beaty University of Maine Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/seagrant_pub Part of the Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons Repository Citation Beaty, Juila, "Fisheries Then: Alewives and Blueback Herring" (2014). Maine Sea Grant Publications. 71. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/seagrant_pub/71 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Maine Sea Grant Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. For more information, please contact [email protected]. (http://www.downeastfisheriestrail.org) Alewives and Blueback Herring Fisheries Then: Alewives and Blueback Herring (i.e. River Herring) By Julia Beaty and Natalie Springuel Reviewed by Chris Bartlett, Dan Kircheis The term “river herring” collectively refers to two species: Alosa pseudoharengus, commonly known as alewife, and the closely related Alosa aestivalis, commonly known as blueback herring, or simply bluebacks. Records dating back to the early nineteenth century indicate that fishermen could tell the difference between alewives and bluebacks, which look very similar; however, historically they have been harvested together with little regard to the differences between the two (Collette and KleinMacPhee 2002). Alewives are the more common of the two species in most rivers in Maine (Collette and Klien MacPhee 2002). Fishermen in Maine often use the word “alewife” to refer to both alewives and bluebacks. Both alewives and bluebacks are anadromous fish, meaning that they are born in fresh water, but spend the majority of their adult lives at sea.
[Show full text]
Atlantic Herring
Species Profile: Atlantic Herring New Stock Assessment Could Lead to Species Snapshot Management Changes Introduction Atlantic Herring Until recently, the Atlantic herring stock had been considered healthy and fully rebuilt from a Clupea harengus collapsed stock in the 1980s. However, the results of the 2018 benchmark stock assessment have raised new concerns about the Atlantic herring resource. While the stock remains not Management Unit: Maine through New Jersey overfished and was not experiencing overfishing in the terminal year (2017) of the assess- ment, the assessment did show very low levels of recruitment over the past five years. These Common Names: Sea herring, sardine, sild, results will likely have management implications for the species as regulators work to prevent common herring, Labrador herring, sperling overfishing from occurring in the coming years. Diminished stock size and, in turn, lowered catch limits will also impact fisheries that rely on Atlantic herring as an important source of Interesting Facts: bait, such as American lobster, blue crab, tuna, and striped bass fisheries. • Atlantic herring and other clupeid fish have exceptional hearing. They can detect sound Life History frequencies up to 40 kilohertz, beyond the Atlantic sea herring is one of 200 species in the clupeid family, which includes menhaden, range of most fish. This allows schooling fish shad, and river herring. It inhabits coastal waters of the U.S. from Cape Hatteras, North Caro- to communicate while avoiding detection by lina through Labrador, Canada, and off the coast of Europe. Herring form the base of the food predatory fish. web as a forage species for many animals, from starfish and whelk to economically import- • While most members of the clupeid family are ant fish such as haddock, cod, and flounder.
[Show full text]
Fish Passage Engineering Design Criteria 2019
FISH PASSAGE ENGINEERING DESIGN CRITERIA 2019 37.2’ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region June 2019 Fish and Aquatic Conservation, Fish Passage Engineering Ecological Services, Conservation Planning Assistance United States Fish and Wildlife Service Region 5 FISH PASSAGE ENGINEERING DESIGN CRITERIA June 2019 This manual replaces all previous editions of the Fish Passage Engineering Design Criteria issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 5 Suggested citation: USFWS (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). 2019. Fish Passage Engineering Design Criteria. USFWS, Northeast Region R5, Hadley, Massachusetts. USFWS R5 Fish Passage Engineering Design Criteria June 2019 USFWS R5 Fish Passage Engineering Design Criteria June 2019 Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ ix List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. x List of Equations ............................................................................................................................ xi List of Appendices ........................................................................................................................ xii 1 Scope of this Document ....................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 Role of the USFWS Region 5 Fish Passage Engineering ............................................
[Show full text]
Little Fish, Big Impact: Managing a Crucial Link in Ocean Food Webs
little fish BIG IMPACT Managing a crucial link in ocean food webs A report from the Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force The Lenfest Ocean Program invests in scientific research on the environmental, economic, and social impacts of fishing, fisheries management, and aquaculture. Supported research projects result in peer-reviewed publications in leading scientific journals. The Program works with the scientists to ensure that research results are delivered effectively to decision makers and the public, who can take action based on the findings. The program was established in 2004 by the Lenfest Foundation and is managed by the Pew Charitable Trusts (www.lenfestocean.org, Twitter handle: @LenfestOcean). The Institute for Ocean Conservation Science (IOCS) is part of the Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. It is dedicated to advancing ocean conservation through science. IOCS conducts world-class scientific research that increases knowledge about critical threats to oceans and their inhabitants, provides the foundation for smarter ocean policy, and establishes new frameworks for improved ocean conservation. Suggested citation: Pikitch, E., Boersma, P.D., Boyd, I.L., Conover, D.O., Cury, P., Essington, T., Heppell, S.S., Houde, E.D., Mangel, M., Pauly, D., Plagányi, É., Sainsbury, K., and Steneck, R.S. 2012. Little Fish, Big Impact: Managing a Crucial Link in Ocean Food Webs. Lenfest Ocean Program. Washington, DC. 108 pp. Cover photo illustration: shoal of forage fish (center), surrounded by (clockwise from top), humpback whale, Cape gannet, Steller sea lions, Atlantic puffins, sardines and black-legged kittiwake. Credits Cover (center) and title page: © Jason Pickering/SeaPics.com Banner, pages ii–1: © Brandon Cole Design: Janin/Cliff Design Inc.
[Show full text]
Herring Diversity (Family Clupeidae and Dussumieriidae) in North Carolina
Herring Diversity (Family Clupeidae and Dussumieriidae) in North Carolina North Carolina is home to 13 species of herrings, but most people only know of or heard of the more common ones such as American Shad, Hickory Shad, Alewife, Blueback Herring, Atlantic Menhaden, Gizzard Shad, and Threadfin Shad (Table 1; NCWRC undated – a). Except for perhaps some fishermen along the coast, few people have ever heard of or seen Round Herring, Yellowfin Menhaden, Atlantic Herring, Scaled Sardine, Atlantic Thread Herring, or Spanish Sardine. Table 1. Species of herrings found in or along the coast of North Carolina. Scientific Name/ Scientific Name/ American Fisheries Society Accepted Common Name American Fisheries Society Accepted Common Name Alosa aestivalis - Blueback Herring Dorosoma cepedianum - Gizzard Shad Alosa mediocris - Hickory Shad Dorosoma petenense - Threadfin Shad Alosa pseudoharengus - Alewife Etrumeus sadina - Round Herring1 Alosa sapidissima - American Shad Harengula jaguana - Scaled Sardine Brevoortia tyrannus - Atlantic Menhaden Opisthonema oglinum - Atlantic Thread Herring Brevoortia smithi - Yellowfin Menhaden Sardinella aurita - Spanish Sardine Clupea harengus - Atlantic Herring 1 Until recently, Round Herring, Etrumeus sadina (previously known as E. teres), was placed, along with all the other clupeids found in North Carolina, in the Family Clupeidae. Fish taxonomists now place this species in the Family Dussumieriidae. Alewife and Blueback Herring are often referred to as “River Herring”; other colorful names applied to this family of fishes include glut herring, bigeye herring, nanny shad, stink shad, or just plain “shad”. Each species has an American Fisheries Society-accepted common name (Page et al. 2013) and a scientific (Latin) name (Table 1; Appendix 1). Herring occur across the state in freshwater and saltwater environments, but especially in many of our reservoirs, coastal rivers, estuaries, and offshore (Tracy et al.
[Show full text]
Assessment and Management of Pacific Herring in the Salish Sea: Conserving and Recovering a Culturally Significant and Ecologic
Assessment and Management of Pacific Herring in the Salish Sea: Conserving and Recovering a Culturally Significant and Ecologically Critical Component of the Food Web Prepared for: The SeaDoc Society Submitted by: The Salish Sea Pacific Herring Assessment and Management Strategy Team FINAL REPORT For award number 201701956-01 issued to Co-PIs Tessa Francis and Dayv Lowry August 2018 Members of the Salish Sea Pacific Herring Assessment and Management Strategy Team: Principle Investigator Tessa Francis, Puget Sound Institute, University of Washington, Tacoma Principle Investigator Dayv Lowry, Marine Fish Science Unit, WDFW, Olympia Todd Sandell, Marine Fish Science Unit, Forage Fish, WDFW, Mill Creek Kelly Biedenweg, Oregon State University, Corvallis Evelyn Brown, Lummi Indian Tribe Jaclyn Cleary, Fisheries and Oceans Canada Phill Dionne, Marine Fish Science Unit, Forage Fish, WDFW, Olympia Timothy Essington, University of Washington, Seattle Correigh Greene, Northwest Fishery Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Lorenz Hauser, University of Washington, Seattle Doug Hay, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, retired Paul Hershberger, United States Geological Survey, Marrowstone Marine Field Station Anna Kagley, Northwest Fishery Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Tim Kulchyski, Cowichan Tribes Paul McCollum, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe Chad Ormond, Q’ul-lhanumutsun AQuatic Resources Society Manuscript may be cited as: The Salish Sea Pacific Herring Assessment and Management Strategy Team.
[Show full text]
Blueback Herring (Alosa Aestivalis) in Lake Ontario: First Record, Entry Route, and Colonization Potential
J. Great Lakes Res. 24(3):723-730 Internal. Assoc. Great Lakes Res., 1998 NOTE Blueback Herring (Alosa aestivalis) in Lake Ontario: First Record, Entry Route, and Colonization Potential Randall W. Owens1,* Robert O'Gorman1, Edward L. Mills2, Lars G. Rudstam2, John J. Hasse3, Brandon H. Kulik4, David B. MacNeill5 1U.S. Geological Survey Biological Resources Division Great Lakes Science Center Lake Ontario Biological Station 17 Lake Street Oswego, New York 13126 2Department of Natural Resources Cornell University Biological Field Station 900 Shackelton Point Road Bridgeport, New York 13030 3New York Department of Environmental Conservation 207 Genesee Street Utica, New York 13501 4Kleinschmidt Associates 75 Main Street P.O. Box 576 Pittsfield, Maine 04964 5New York Sea Grant Morgan III SUNY Brockport Brockport, New York 14420 ABSTRACT. Two juvenile blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) were caught in Lake Ontario in October 1995, the first record of this anadromous marine clupeid in the Great Lakes. Blueback herring most likely gained entry to Lake Ontario via the Erie Barge Canal, a navigation canal that links the Mohawk-Hudson rivers, which drain to the Atlantic Ocean, to Oneida Lake, which drains to Lake Ontario through the Oneida-Oswego rivers. Blueback herring ascend the Hudson River to spawn and were first reported from the upper Mohawk River in 1978. They currently spawn in several of the upper Mohawk's tributaries, including one about 430 km from the ocean but only 25 km from Oneida Lake. They were first found in Oneida Lake in 1982 and, in fall 1994, large numbers of juvenile blueback herring were found moving down the Oswego River.
[Show full text]
Herrings and Shads of North America
1 American Currents Vol. 29, No. 2 Herrings and Shads of North America: Diversity, Natural History, Conservation, and Aquarium Care Christopher Scharpf 1107 Argonne Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 [email protected] “. it is a fish of crowds, not one to occurring in Atlantic Coast drainages of the U.S. and Canada, strike out much of its own.” and two species ranging from the Gulf Coast upwards — John Hay through the Mississippi Basin into Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Some Atlantic species occur far outside their ilvery, slab-sided, and generically fish-shaped, native ranges, usually in lakes and reservoirs, either from members of the family Clupeidae—herrings, intentional introductions to provide forage for stocked game- shads, sardines, pilchards, sprats, and menhaden fish, or by passage through manmade waterways.1 The S (collectively called clupeids)—are easily overlooked American shad (A. sapidissima) was planted into California’s in favor of more charismatic or distinctively assembled fishes. Sacramento River in 1871 and has spread up the Pacific But their role as an abundant food source for higher predators, Coast and across the Bering Strait into the Kamchatka including man and fishes eaten by man, makes them impos- Peninsula. Apparently, temperature anomalies and ocean cur- sible to ignore. Pound for pound, clupeids are arguably the rents caused by El Niños have proven to be conducive to most important fishes in the world. American shad reproduction (Ebbesmeyer and Hinrichsen, 1997), as have the reduced-current areas created by dams Diversity and Distribution (Hinrichsen and Ebbesmeyer, 1998). Today, the largest American shad run occurs in the Columbia River of the Nature, recognizing a good thing, wisely made clupeids Pacific Northwest.
[Show full text]
Comprehensive Evaluation of Genetic Population Structure for Anadromous T River Herring with Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Data
Fisheries Research 206 (2018) 247–258 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Fisheries Research journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/fishres Comprehensive evaluation of genetic population structure for anadromous T river herring with single nucleotide polymorphism data Kerry Reida,b, Eric P. Palkovacsa, Daniel J. Hasselmana,1, Diana Baetscherb,c, Jared Kibeled, ⁎ Ben Gahagane, Paul Bentzenf, Meghan C. McBridef, John Carlos Garzab,c, a Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA b Fisheries Ecology Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA c Department of Ocean Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA d National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA e Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, Gloucester, MA 01930, USA f Marine Gene Probe Laboratory, Biology Department, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Handled by J Viñas Anthropogenic activities are placing increasing pressure on many species, particularly those that rely on more Keywords: than one ecosystem. River herring (alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus and blueback herring, A. aestivalis collectively) Alosa are anadromous fishes that reproduce in rivers and streams of eastern North America and migrate to the western Alewife Atlantic Ocean. Here, we use data from single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to provide a comprehensive Blueback herring analysis of population structure for both species of river herring throughout their native ranges. We sampled Mixed stock analysis river herring spawning runs in rivers from Newfoundland to Florida, examining a total of 108 locations, and Population genetic structure genotyping over 8000 fish.
[Show full text]
Blueback Herring US ARMY CORPS of ENGINEERS Building Strong®
blueback herring US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS Building Strong® Common Name blueback herring Genus & Species Alosa aestivalis Family Clupeidae (herrings and shads) Order Clupeiformes (herrings, shads, anchovies, sardines) Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) Diagnosis: Blueback herring are characterized by a blue to blue-green dorsal area with a silver lateral area. This species has a small, dark spot on the operculum and light green or yellow fins. Scales in lateral series are 46-54, dorsal fin rays are 15-20 and anal fin rays are 15-21. Bluebacks have teeth on lower jaw and have a fairly small eye. There are usually 44-50 rakers on the lower limb of 1st gill arch. Maximum length is 40cm. Ecology: Blueback herring are anadromous and spawn in swift flowing, deeper stretches of rivers and streams with associated hard substrate and in slower flowing tributaries and flooded low lying areas adjacent to main streams with soft substrates and detritus. Fecundity for this species is 45,000 to 350,000 eggs. Food sources are similar to Alewife as these 2 species are sympatric in regards to many life history requirements. Habitat & Distribution: The range of the blueback herring is the Atlantic Coast from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to the St. Johns River, Florida. This species has been introduced into Virginia reservoirs. Dams have reduced freshwater range and abundance. Bluebacks prefer current over rocky bottoms. Status: Currently, blueback herring are found in Lake Ontario. This discovery was recent in 1995. It has not been determined if the species is established in Lake Ontario. However, if the species does become established, it will have access to the other lakes via canals.
[Show full text]
Age Determination and Growth of the Blueback Herring, Alosa Aestivalis
W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 1980 Age determination and growth of the blueback herring, Alosa aestivalis Jack Gerald Travelstead College of William and Mary - Virginia Institute of Marine Science Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the Developmental Biology Commons, Fresh Water Studies Commons, and the Oceanography Commons Recommended Citation Travelstead, Jack Gerald, "Age determination and growth of the blueback herring, Alosa aestivalis" (1980). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539617499. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.25773/v5-0y24-1a56 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AGE DETERMINATION AND GROWTH OF THE BLUEBACK HERRING, ALPSA AESTIVALIS A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the School of Marine Science The College of William and Mary in Virginia In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Jack Gerald Travelstead 1980 APPROVAL SHEET This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts u Jack Gerald Travelstead Approved, January 19 8 0 Ldesch John •lerriner Herbert M. Austin -'Prank J. jj Ik Robert J. Byr) 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................... iv LIST OF TABLES............................................. vi LIST OF FIGURES ............................................. vii ABSTRACT..................................................... viii INTRODUCTION............................................... 2 METHODS AND MATERIALS ................................... 4 Data Source ..................................... 4 Scale Characteristics and Preparation .............
[Show full text]