Detailed project information for Study Plan Number 09031-01

Branch :	Conte Anadromous Fish Laboratory
Study Plan Number :	09031-01
Study Title :	Identifying mechanisms controlling growth and survival of Connecticut River Alosines: modeling, field and laboratory studies
Starting Date :	10/01/1997
Completion Date :	10/01/2001
Principal Investigator(s) :	Letcher, Ben
Primary PI :	Letcher, Ben
Telephone Number :	(413) 863-3803
Email Address :	bletcher@usgs.gov
SIS Number :	5002131
Primary Program Element :	Fisheries and Aquatic Resources
Second Program Element :	Fish and Aquatic Habitats
Status :	Completed
Abstract :	American shad (Alosa sapidissima) and blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) are anadromous clupeids which range from northern Florida to Newfoundland, Canada. Both shad and bluebacks support important commercial and recreational fisheries. Although fish bypass structures around dams have opened up substantial nursery habitat, returns to the Connecticut River have dropped substantially in the last 2-3 years. The low number of returns has been blamed at least in part on predation on migrating juveniles by striped bass; population numbers have exploded in recent years and although they do not appear to spawn in the Connecticut River, individuals swim at least as far as river km 140. As predation is often size-dependent, the interaction of juvenile growth and the timing of migration with the presence of striped bass may play a large role in controlling the population dynamics of shad and bluebacks.
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