{"id":1427,"date":"2012-03-01T13:50:00","date_gmt":"2012-03-01T18:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?page_id=1427"},"modified":"2024-08-28T15:35:12","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T19:35:12","slug":"hoping-for-a-comeback-researchers-eye-river-herring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/hoping-for-a-comeback-researchers-eye-river-herring\/","title":{"rendered":"Hoping for a Comeback: Researchers Eye River Herring"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
The handmade sign at a riverside restaurant exclaims “Yes! We have herrings!” It is a welcome sight for Eastern North Carolina residents who still consider the bony fish a harbinger of spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the signs, like the fish, are not as common these days. The great river herring runs, or spawning migrations, into Tar Heel rivers and creeks are things of the past. The herring on dinner plates now come from the ocean or out-of-state waters. Measures enacted in recent years regulate river herring fishing to protect populations that have drastically dropped from historical levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fish that once came by the millions could not overcome changes in natal, or native, waters. Dams and development blocked access to traditional spawning grounds, and pollution degraded habitat. Fishing pressure and predation by striped bass \u2014 a species that rebounded after harvest limits were imposed \u2014 likely took a heavy toll as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n