May 31, 2012 -NOAA will conduct a series of workshops to gather more information on the status and threats to alewife and blueback herring, collectively known as river herring. NOAA received a petition from the Natural Resources Defense Council in August 2011 to list river herring as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. After reviewing available information, agency scientists and policy managers determined that a full review of the health of these species’ populations was warranted.
NOAA has been working closely with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to use information contained in the commission’s recent river herring stock assessment and is considering other available scientific information to help make a determination as to whether these species should be listed under the Endangered Species Act.
River herring are migratory fish that spend the majority of their adult lives at sea, but return to freshwater areas to spawn in the spring. They are an important source of food for other valuable commercial and recreational fish populations, including striped bass, cod and flounder.
Several areas where additional information is needed include stock structure, extinction risk, and the potential impact of climate change on these species. NOAA plans to hold three workshops in June and July to gather more information on each of these areas. NOAA has invited participants with specific expertise in these areas to help inform the workshop discussions.
The workshops, which are open to the public and will also be available through webinar for those who cannot attend in person, are scheduled for the following dates:
Stock structure workshop on June 22, 2012 at NOAA Fisheries Northeast Regional Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA (contact Tara Trinko Lake at tara.trinko@noaa.gov or 207-866-4238)
Extinction risk analysis workshop on July 10, 2012 at the Environmental Protection Agency Offices, 5 Post Office Square, Boston, MA (contact Sarah Laporte at sarah.laporte@noaa.gov or 978-282-8477)
Climate change workshop on July 18-19, 2012 at NOAA Fisheries Northeast Regional Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA (contact Diane Borggaard at diane.borggaard@noaa.gov or 978-282-8453) Anyone interested in attending the workshops, should contact the workshop leaders listed above as space is limited.
Meeting summaries will be prepared for each workshop and independently peer reviewed. NOAA Fisheries is soliciting recommendations for peer reviewers. Further details about qualifications for peer reviewers will be posted on our website.