Hudson RiverNet
News from the Hudson River Estuary Program

Recovery Plan for Hudson River American Shad Released

DEC has announced the release of the Recovery Plan for Hudson River American Shad (PDF). 
American shad is an economically and ecologically important migratory fish species that once supported a robust fishery in the Hudson River. Decades of intense fishing pressure coupled with years of low reproduction and non-fishing-related mortality events have further impacted the stock’s resilience and exacerbated declines.

Significant actions have been taken to improve the Hudson River shad stock since the 2010 closure of the New York fisheries for shad, including reduced mortality at industrial water intakes and ocean-bycatch caps. However, conservative management and considerable patience are needed to return the Hudson River shad stock to levels with enough resilience for commercial and recreational harvest.

The plan delineates the recovery goals and benchmarks based on decades of annual monitoring data and the most recent American shad stock assessment. With the aim of long-term stock resilience, DEC will continue to gather data, identify challenges, and take management actions that are in line with recovery priorities and are supported by sufficient data. As this plan also outlines, the short-term objective is to reopen the catch-and-release fishery while supporting the long-term recovery objective of returning the stock to 1940s’ levels. For more information about American shad please visit DEC's website.