Investing in long term restoration potential
for American shad in the Northeast US:
opportunities provided by the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Kristen H. Ferry
Outline
GOAL:
Identify benefits of ARRA to American shad restoration
American shad
•Biology
•Coastal management
•Challenges to restoration
ARRA in the Northeast US
•What & where
•Methods & examples
•Implications for shad
American shad
Alosa sapidissima
•Largest member of the Clupeidae or herring family
•Anadromous
•Inhabit/Inhabited larger coastal rivers, New Foundland
to Florida
•Historically important to commercial & recreational
fisheries
•Many systems, extirpated or unsustainable
populations
American shad
Annual Spawning Migration
SPRING
Headwaters
Ocean
3+ years
Estuary
River
SUMMER & FALL
Why are American shad important?
Ecological
•Provide food for other fish, mammals and sea birds
•Important source of oceanic nutrients for rivers
Ocean
Estuary
River
Why are American shad important?
Ecological
•Provide food for other fish, mammals and sea birds
•Important source of oceanic nutrients for rivers
Social
•Historically important commercial & recreational
fisheries
•Consumption
•Aesthetics—sign of spring &
healthy river
What happened?
American shad commercial landings,1950 - 2009
12,000,000
Pounds
10,000,000
8,000,000
6,000,000
4,000,000
2,000,000
0
Year
Source, ASMFC, 2010
American shad management
•Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, 15 states
•Fisheries Management Plan (FMP)~1985
•Stock assessment, 2007—all time low, not recovering
•Amendment 3 to FMP…protect, enhance, and restore
Atlantic coast migratory stocks and critical habitat of
American shad
The problems
Harvest
Obstructions
Pollution
ASMFC, leading causes of decline
Developing problems
Water withdrawal
Land use
Climate
Challenges
More challenges to shad restoration…
Larger rivers
Larger dams (often hydro)
Costly and complex habitat
restoration projects
•Passage options often technical structures
•Severely reduced passage beyond first obstruction
# American shad passed
Example:
Reduced passage beyond 1st dam
Merrimack River, MA, American shad counts
80000
Dam 1
70000
Dam 2
60000
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
0
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Year
Mean shad passed, Dam 2 fish lift = 15%
1999 – 2003 = years of peak shad passage
NOAA and ARRA of 2009
$167 million for fisheries habitat restoration
50 projects across US; pool of > 800
Northeast Region ARRA
•11 projects in NE Region, ME - VA
•Total = > $35 million
•Projects primarily fish passage
•Multiple target fish species
ARRA and American shad
•4 of 11 projects, $17.3 million
•Med – L rivers managed for shad
Passage:
10 obstructions, 5 systems
Access, 50 mainstem river miles
Dam dimensions:
75 – 1020 ft , length
5 – 32 ft, height
Watershed size:
53 – 8600 square miles
ARRA and American shad
Greatworks Dam Removal
Penobscot River, ME
Rhode Island Rivers Ecosystems
Ten Mile River, RI
Pawcatuck River, RI
Tingue Dam Bypass
Naugatuck River, CT
Patapsco River Restoration, MD
American shad population targets, 16,000 – 2,000,000
ARRA and American shad
Methods Used
Dam removal -- 4
Dam removal & ramp -- 1
Bypass -- 1
Fishways -- 4
Dam removal - complete
Lower Shannock Dam
Pawcatuck River, RI
Union Dam
Patapsco River, MD
Dam removal – in the works
Greatworks Dam
Penobscot River, ME
Simkins Dam
Patapsco River, MD
Dam removal/ramp – planning
Kenyon Mill Dam
Pawcatuck River, RI
EXAMPLE
Fish bypass - planning
Tingue Dam Bypass
Naugatuck River, CT
Fishways – planning & construction
Denil style fishway
Entrance
Hunts Mills and Turner Reservoir Dams
Ten Mile River, RI
Attraction flow
Baffles cause
turbulence & reduce
velocity
American Shamu passage
Staff, Fuss and O’Neill, Inc.
In-river location of ARRA projects/dams
Upstream
Dam
No.
PEN (ME) TEN (RI)
PAW (RI) NAUG(CT)
1
2
3
1999
4
1999
PAT (MD)
Climate Change
Habitat modifications
Temperature
DO
Hydrograph
Change in thermal niche space
Implications for…
•Changes in distribution
•Changes in migratory behavior & production
•Egg & Juvenile survival
•Importance of passage & water quality in NE, US??
Summary
Implications of ARRA projects for American shad
•Address management priorities for fish passage & habitat
•Opportunity to complete large & complex fish passage projects
- Critical passage improvements to 2nd+ obstructions
Long term benefits to shad production and survival
•Benefits for impact of climate change…maybe
•Momentum building for future projects
Thank you!