American shad (Alosa sapidissima) is a migratory fish species with rich history in the Hudson and Delaware rivers. Indigenous peoples and colonial Americans relied on shad for sustenance, often smoking the flesh and consuming shad roe (eggs) as a delicacy. American shad supported important recreational and commercial fisheries throughout the 20th century, however the Hudson stock declined in recent years and as a result, all recreational and commercial fisheries for American shad closed in 2010.
Current Fishery (Closed)
- Recreational and commercial fishing for American shad is prohibited in the Hudson River and the Marine District of New York and any American shad should be immediately released back into the water if they are caught incidentally.
- Consult the freshwater fishing regulations for recreational fishing within inland waters and the Delaware River.
Management
American shad are managed through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). After significant declines in coastal landings of American shad, ASMFC recommended a closure of all ocean fishing in 2005, which was followed by a 2007 ASMFC stock assessment showing the Hudson River American shad population was severely depleted. This prompted a complete closure of recreational and commercial fishing in the Hudson River in 2010. Based on findings from the most recent 2020 ASMFC benchmark stock assessment, the Hudson River population has remained depleted since fishery closure.
The benchmark stock assessment also found the adult mortality for the Delaware River shad population to be unsustainable. Commercial and recreational fishing in the Delaware River Basin remains open but requires an ASMFC approved Sustainable Fishing Plan every five years. The current Delaware River Sustainable Fishing Plan for American Shad, was recently revised by DEC staff and other members of the Delaware Basin Fish and Wildlife Cooperative (Delaware Coop) for 2022-2026.
Hudson River American Shad Recovery Plan
DEC released the final Recovery Plan for Hudson River American Shad (PDF) on March 22, 2023. This plan outlines the efforts undertaken to recover the stock since its collapse and fishery closure in 2010, and develops a transparent and science-based roadmap for re-opening the shad fisheries. Measures taken to address the Hudson River American shad stock include:
- Continued annual monitoring of young of year (YOY) and spawning stock biomass (SSB) to keep a current understanding of the stock status
- Two Delaware Basin American Shad Sustainable Fishing Plans in 2016 and 2022, which added a mixed-stock benchmark for shad harvest in Delaware Bay that limits the number of Hudson River American Shad that can be harvested
- Improved bycatch monitoring and shad bycatch caps in Mackerel and Atlantic Herring Fisheries in Atlantic Coastal waters, which limits the number of American shad caught as bycatch in some federal fisheries
- DEC and Cornell University research project to determine the proportion of shad bycatch in coastal fisheries and specifically the proportion of bycatch from the Hudson River stock
- Reduction of American shad mortality at over five significant industrial water users on the Hudson River, most notably with the closure of Indian Point Energy Center in 2021 that was permitted 2 billion gallons per day
Tracking stock status is critical for understanding American shad recovery in the Hudson River, so DEC will continue to annually monitor adult female biomass, adult female mortality, and juvenile production.
Our proposed short-term objective is to return all three of the measures that we monitor to the conditions observed in the mid-1980s. We aim to meet this objective by continuing to take actions identified in the plan that reduce mortality and by waiting to re-open fisheries until the stock can handle the additional fishing mortality.
