Status Of Species Of Concern Cusk And River Herring

A declining trend has been evident since the 1980s for species river herring (Alosa pseudoharengus and Alosa aestivalis) and cusk (Brosme brosme). Landings and survey indices have decreased considerably for cusk, with the ratio of landings to survey biomass estimates has been increasing since 1986. This implies increase exploitation over that time period. River herring populations have declined throughout much of their range, which has resulted in establishing moratoriums on taking and possessing river herring at the Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Delaware and North Carolina rivers. The recorded numbers of river herring entering the rivers seem to be crashing. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has listed river herring and cusk species of concern. One of NMFS responsibilities is to promote efforts to conserve species for which NMFS has concerns regarding population status and threats (e.g. river herring), and those for which insufficient information is available (e.g. cusk) to indicate whether listing under the Endangered Species Act is warranted. A status review has been initiated by the Fisheries Service. Identifying proactive efforts that can be taken to conserve species of concern, such as river herring and cusk, helps NMFS ameliorate current and future threats to these species. This project involves reviewing available information on the species, including potential risks and environmental threats, to develop a list of proactive conservation activities that NMFS should consider undertaking. Whether listing these species under the Endangered Species Act is the most proactive conservation measure will be decided by the end of this project.