MIDDLEBORO, Mass., — July 18, 2013 — After a significant decline in herring populations in 2004 prompting the 2005 state ban on the harvesting, possessing or selling of the anadromous fish, herring numbers at Middleboro's runs are back on the rise.
"Scientists think the reason for the crash was a change in ocean weather cycles and an increase in predators," said David Cavanaugh, chairman of the Middleborough-Lakeville Herring Fishery Commission David Cavanaugh. "Many people also blame an increase in offshore fishing."
The latest estimate of 840,033 based on a continuous series of hand counts taken at the Wareham Street fish ladder between March 14 and May 26 of this year showed an increase of 272,081 from last year's estimate of 567,952. It is the highest estimated herring population for the Nemasket-Taunton River run since 2002's high of 1,361,691.
The Middleborough-Lakeville Herring Fishery Commission takes 10-minute hand counts of herring passing through the top board of the Wareham Street fish ladder as many times a day as volunteer staffing levels will permit. The commission then sends the data to the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries who then run it through a software program to come up with an estimate for the herring run season.
"Certainly we are glad to see our numbers rising again," said Mr. Cavanaugh. "We are lucky to have clean, rather abundant water and a pristine spawning ground. Also water was high for the last several years making passage easier and contributing to a larger hatch." Also 2013 marked the return of fry hatched during the flood of 2010. "We were wondering if that would have an effect on the returning fry," said Mr. Cavanaugh. "The next few years of numbers will be telling."
Read the full story at the Middleboro Gazette