Fact Sheets
  History of a Fishery (972 Kb)
Atlantic herring have been caught in New England waters for centuries.
But the fishery has recently changed, becoming increasingly industrial
 Bycatch and Monitoring (3.1 Mb)
Bycatch, the unintended capture of unwanted fish and other animals
during fishing, is a growing concern in the Atlantic herring fishery.
 Atlantic Herring (471 Kb)
Atlantic herring is one of the most important fishes in New England -
a keystone species in the Northwest Atlantic.
 River Herring (New England) (1.2 Mb)
River Herring (Mid-Atlantic) (1.2 Mb)
Populations of alewife and blueback herring are in serious decline
along the Atlantic Coast and face numerous threats.
Reports
 Out of Balance (2 Mb) – A comprehensive report detailing the pivotal role Atlantic herring play in the region’s ecosystem and economy and the threat of the industrial-scale herring fleet that jeopardizes the health of this key resource.
 Empty Rivers (5.7 Mb) – A special report revealing that river herring populations are disappearing from the Atlantic seaboard and that fishery managers need to pay more attention to bycatch at sea by industrial midwater trawl fishing.
Correspondence
Letters to regional fishery managers and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) regarding meetings and requests for public comment.
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Letter to the Commission's Atlantic Menhaden Management Board urging immediate action to restore the menhaden population, including establishment of a new fishing limit that is consistent with scientific guidance
October 17, 2011
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Letter to the Commission's Shad & River Herring Management Board urging them to support making river herring and shad "stocks in the fishery" in an upcoming federal fishery management action. Letter by Earthjustice, Herring Alliance member.
March 18, 2011
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Letter to NMFS in support of the 2012 annual catch limits for Atlantic herring that account for overages from the fishery in 2010.
January 6, 2012
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Letter to the Council asking that all proposed alternatives in the draft amendment to the herring management plan go forward for public comment.
September 14, 2011
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Letter to NMFS outlining concerns about the proposed rule implementing catch limits for the Atlantic mackerel, squid and butterfish fishery, including the failure to incorporate best available science to ensure overfishing of these critical prey species is prevented.
November 19, 2011
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Letter urging the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council to approve and send to public comment all the management options that were developed in Amendment 14 to improve monitoring and reduce catch of river herring and shad
September 28, 2011
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Letter to NMFS outlining our concerns with the proposed rule for Framework 46, which lacks proper incentives for midwater trawl vessels to reduce their haddock bycatch.
August 3, 2011
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Letter to the NEMFC regarding the shortcomings of the current options in the Council's plan (Framework 46) to manage haddock bycatch in the directed herring fishery.
April 18, 2011
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Letter to NMFS with information pertinent to the river herring Status Review being undertaken by the agency, and a request for a full and independent review.
January 27, 2012
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Letter urging NMFS to make a positive 90-day determination on a petition to list alewife and blueback herring as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act
October 25, 2011
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