Prohibition On The Taking Of Alewide And Blueback Herring Extended

The Department of Environmental Protection announced that the prohibition on the taking of alewives and blueback herring from most inland and marine waters of the State of Connecticut has been extended for another year. This action was initially taken in April of 2002, and then continued each successive year through March 31, 2009. The current action by DEP Deputy Commissioner Susan Frechette extends the prohibition through March 31, 2010.

The DEP initially took this action in 2002 because river herring populations had declined to historically low levels.

River herring is a term used to collectively refer to alewife and the blueback herring. Both species are anadromous, which means they hatch in freshwater, migrate to the ocean to grow, then return to freshwater to spawn. Historically, river herring runs into Connecticut rivers and streams have numbered into the millions; however, runs have been declining steadily since 1990. In 1985, 630,000 blueback herring were passed over the Holyoke Dam on the Connecticut River. In 2006, only 21 passed, the lowest number in the history of the Holyoke Fishlift. Last year the number was 84 river herring.