NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Marine Fisheries - 27 Hickory Shad SSR 2016
Marine Fisheries
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Hickory Shad — 2016Stock Status – Unknown – Commercial landings increased in 2015 and the price per pound is consistent with the ten-year average. The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries has not conducted any directed sampling since 1993. Average Commercial Landings and Value 2006-2015 – 83,226lbs./$22,603 2015 Commercial Landings and Value – 148,714 lbs./$49,552 Average Recreational Landings – Not available 2015 Recreational Landings – Not available Status of Fishery Management Plan (FMP) – In North Carolina, hickory shad are included in the Interjurisdictional FMP, which defers to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) FMP compliance requirements. The ASMFC FMP for Shad and River Herring was approved in 1985 and Amendment 1 of this plan was approved in October 1998. Although Amendment 2 and Amendment 3 to the Interjurisdictional FMP have been approved by ASMFC over the last two years, neither one deals directly with hickory shad. Research and Data Needs – There is a need for all types of fishery dependent and independent data. 2015 Regulations – There is no size limit. The recreational bag limit in Albemarle Sound and Neuse and Bay Rivers is a 10-fish aggregate (hickory and American combined) per person, per day, of which only one American Shad can be taken within the 10-fish aggregate. The Cape Fear River and tributaries recreational limit is a 10-fish aggregate of which no more than 5 may be American Shad. In the Pamlico and Pungo Rivers, Pamlico Sound, and other coastal and joint waters the limit is no more than 10 fish in the aggregate per person, per day recreationally. Harvest Season – The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission adopted a rule in 1995 establishing a commercial harvest season January 1-April 14; it is unlawful to take hickory shad and American shad by any method except hook-and-line from April 15-December 31. Maximum Age – 8 years Juvenile Abundance Index– Not Available Habits and Habitats - Hickory shad are anadromous, spending the majority of their life in the ocean and returning to freshwater to spawn. Spawning occurs throughout the summer in the coastal rivers and tributaries. It is thought juvenile hickory shad do not use the same nursery areas as river herring and American shad, but move quickly to more saline waters. For more information, contact Holly White at Holly.White@ncdenr.gov (800-338-7805 or 252-264-3911). |
