NRDC Petitions to Have Herring Declared Threatened

Is It Time to Save Our Threatened River Herring?

Among all the awe-inspiring phenomena of the natural world, the immense spawning runs of alewife and blueback herring along the Atlantic Coast ranks highly. Not long ago, these platinum, big-eyed fish poured into estuaries and up rivers in such overwhelming numbers that, to the human eye or imagination, a river might seem to run backward, for an instant. Collectively known as “river herring,” they fed Native Americans and early settlers—and they still nurture our ecosystems. Not only are they fundamental to both marine and freshwater food webs as prey species, but those fish that die after spawning also fertilize their natal streams, much like salmon.

Unfortunately, after centuries of overfishing, dam construction, water pollution and other harms—which now increasingly includes the effects of global warming—the annual pulses of river herring have slowed to a relative trickle. And there’s concern that they could disappear entirely in the future. So today NRDC is submitting a petition to the federal government to list the alewife and blueback herring as “threatened” species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

I don't quite know how I feel about this.  Certainly, herring runs in lots of major tributaries are a shadow of their former selves.  However,  few tributaries have pretty health runs still, so calling the whole species threatened seems a stretch.  Still, a more proactive approach to salvage the runs that are failing seems warranted.  Unfortunately the use of the Endangered Species Act as a club to oppose any change you want it a real threat.

So there you have it.  A link to the petition.  I'm still thinking about it...