“Young of year” shad sampling occurred on the Delaware River in Trenton, New Jersey, Phillipsburg, New Jersey, and Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania the week of Aug 8, 2014. Shad is an anadromous species, meaning the fish live in the ocean and come back to spawn in freshwater. Young-of-year are shad hatched from eggs that are spawned in the same year.

OR&R assisted the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PAFBC), the Delaware River Basin Commission, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and New York Department of Environmental Conservation in monitoring for Young-of-year shad.
PAFBC is continuing a study that has been ongoing for a few decades and relies on partners to perform the sampling in August, September, and October of each year. Four hauls along the shoreline using a 300' seine is used. Boulders, aquatic vegetation, and proper technique pulling the seine are all challenges. A diver is used to remove major snags. The data will be compiled in a report prepared by PAFBC for fishery managers and the public.

OR&R supports shad restoration efforts in the Delaware River through the Damage Assessment Remediation and Restoration Program by doing assessments of risk and/or injuries to shad from hazardous materials from waste sites and oil spills. These assessments lead to clean up and compensatory restoration projects, through Natural Resource Damage Assessments that help restore shad and their habitat. Removal of legacy dams to allow for fish passage is a major restoration technique but other restoration and conservation efforts are needed. More research is needed to evaluate spawning and Young-of-year habitat requirements.

For further information, contact Simeon.Hahn@noaa.gov.

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