# Atlantic States Marine

Fisheries Commission

Atlantic Coast Diadromous

Fish Habitat: A Review of Utilization, Threats, Recommendations for Conservation, and

Research Needs

Habitat Management Series #9 January 2009 Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus

Blueback herring Striped bass Hickory shad Atlantic sturgeon American shad American eel

Alosa aestivalis Morone saxatilis Alosa mediocris Acipenser oxyrhynchus oxyrinchus Alosa sapidissima Anguilla rostrata



### Working towards healthy, self-sustaining populations of all Atlantic coast fish species or successful restoration well in progress by the year 2015

### ASMFC Habitat Management Series #9



## Atlantic Coast Diadromous Fish Habitat: A Review of Utilization, Threats, Recommendations for Conservation, and Research Needs

Prepared by:

Karen E. Greene National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad ministration Fisheries Service
Sustainable Fisheries Division Silver Spring, Maryland karen.e.greene@noaa.gov

Jennifer L. Zimmerman West Virginia University Morgantown, West Virginia jenzimm@gmail.com

R. Wilson Laney United States Fish and Wildlife Service South Atlantic Fisheries Office Raleigh, North Carolina wilson_laney@fws.gov

and

Jessie C. Thomas-Blate
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Washington, District of Columbia JThomas@asmfc.orgiiiii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We thank the many people that provided feedback and information for this document. Many ASMFC Habitat Committee members and Habitat Coordinators, both past and present, provided valuable input throughout the
various iterations of this document over th e past nine years, and for that we are very grateful. Without assistance from st ate and federal habitat coordinators, and academia, much of the information contai ned in this document would not have been published. They generously offered numerous articles and unpublished resources in addition to personal insight, which were invaluable contributions to
this document. We are indebted to th eir expertise, suggested resources, and review of these chapters.

Karen Greene would like to acknow ledge Russ Allen, Philips Brady, Michael Brown, Dennis Erkan, Steve Gephar d, Don Harrison, Kathryn A. Hattala, Mike Hendricks, Richard McBride, Billy McCord, James Mowrer, Bob Sadzinski, Jesse Sayles, Craig Shirey, Alan Weaver, and Sara Winslow. She would also like
to thank Richard St. Pierre and John Olne y for taking the time to personally talk
to her about anadromous fish habitat. Without the help of all of these dedicated individuals, this document would not in clude the extensive information on shad and river herring that these people provided.

Jen Zimmerman would like to thank th e following people for their help with the Atlantic sturgeon chapter: Pr escott Brownell, Mark Collins, Joel Fleming, Dewayne Fox, Joe Hightower, A ndy Kahnle, James Kirk, Steve Leach, Alan Libby, John McCord, Ron Michaels, Jerre Mohler, Greg Murphy, Doug Peterson, Fritz Rhode, Dave Secor, and Craig Shirey. For the American eel chapter, she would like to extend her grat itude to: Paul Angerm eier, Dieter Bush, John Casselman, Patrick Geer, James Mc Cleave, Kevin McGrath, and Michael Potthoff. Also, thank you to the members of ASMFC Atlantic sturgeon and
American eel technical committees for all of their assistance . In addition, she would like to offer a special thank you to Thomas Bigford, Karen Greene, Wilson Laney, and Carrie Selberg for all of thei r guidance and cont ributions to the American eel and Atlantic sturgeon chap ters. Finally, she would like to thank Jessie Thomas-Blate for seeing this document to the finish line.

Wilson Laney would like to thank Ken Able, Prescott Brownell, Jeff Buckel, Lew Flagg, Joe Hightower, Fritz Rohde, Roger Rulifson, Mark Westendorf, and Sara Winslow for their help with the striped bass chapter.

For their assistance with provi ding, reviewing, and/or updating information in this document (in some cases multiple times), Jessie Thomas-Blate would like to thank Paul Angermeier, Co lin Apse, Prescott Brownell, Dieter Busch, Mark Collins, Kim Damon-Randall, Pat Geer, Alex Haro, Julie Harris, Mike Hendricks, Joe Hightower, Andy Ka hnle, James Kirk, Sandra Lary, Steve Leach, Alan Libby, James McCleave, Stephen McCormick, Sean McDermott, Kevin McGrath, Ron Michaels, Jerre M ohler, Greg Murphy, Julie Nygard, Wes Patrick, Doug Peterson, Michael Potthoff, Bob Sadzinski, Dave Secor, Carrieiv Selberg, Craig Shirey, members of the ASMFC Habitat Committee, and others that we might have fo rgotten to mention.

Additionally, we would like to extend our gratitude to Alexa McKerrow,
and her crew at North Carolina State University GAP Analysis Project, for compiling the GIS maps for our supplemental DVD.

Citation : Greene, K. E., J. L. Zimmerman, R. W. Laney, and J. C. Thomas-Blate. 2009. Atlantic coast diadromous fish habitat: A review of utilization, threats, recommendations for conservation, and research needs. Atlantic States
Marine Fisheries Commission Hab itat Management Series No. 9, Washington, D.C.

This report is a publication of the Atla ntic States Marine Fisheries Commission pursuant to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Serv ice Grant Numbers A- 10-C-1 and A-11-C-1.