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Originally Posted by Lard Almighty
What does the state mean by "river herring?" Is that considered its own species, or does the term apply to any herring that is caught in a river? For example, there's a place by me that gets a run of blueback herring every year. Can I catch and use those for bait?  |
Lard,
Blueback and Alewifes are the river herring. Can't keep them for bait or at all. This is the Salt water regulations but what about Freshwater??? I think you can still keep a certain amount but not quite sure as the rules are confusing... Have to research it further...anyone know for sure in NJ???
Effective immediately, no person shall take, possess, land, purchase, sell or offer for sale any river herring (alewife and blueback) in the marine waters of the State. Only commercial vessels fishing exclusively in Federal waters while operating a valid Federal permit for Atlantic mackerel and/or Atlantic herring may possess river herring, up to a maximum of five percent by weight of all species possessed.
These regulations were put in place due to concerns about the significant coastwide decline of river herring stocks. The exact cause for these coastwide declines remains uncertain, but numerous factors such as loss of spawning habitat, impediments to fish passage (i.e. dams), water quality degradation and fishing all likely played a role. Amendment 2 of the ASMFC fishery management plan for river herring prohibits both the recreational and commercial harvest of river herring in the waters of states that do not have an ASMFC- approved river herring sustainable management plan. New Jersey does not have an approved plan since the available information on river herring stocks is not sufficient to definitively prove the State's river herring stocks are sustainable. Other states along the East Coast - Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts and Rhode Island - have closed their river herring fisheries as well.
Leif
