RIVER HERRING PROGRAM

RIVER HERRING PROGRAM River Herring NORTHEAST REGION Assessing Sustainability of River Herring Runs Department of Marine Resources Award Amount... $400,483 Grantee Match... $415,340 Total Project... $815,823 Collect river herring population data on numerous rivers in order to create management and harvest models to help ensure the sustainability of the fishery. Project will also hire an education specialist to work with inland communities to help gain acceptance for reintroduction of river herring. River Herring Bycatch Avoidance in Small Mesh Fisheries (MA) University of Massachusetts Massachusetts Award Amount... $305,640 Grantee Match... $376,929 Total Project... $682,569 Develop river herring bycatch avoidance incentive systems based on models that identify and predict high concentrations of river herring. Project will help to minimize bycatch of river herring in the Atlantic herring and mackerel fisheries in New England.

Identification and Modeling of Alewife Stock Structure Gulf of Research Institute, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island Award Amount... $136,325 Grantee Match... $137,151 Total Project... $273,476 Use otolith structure analysis to define alewife stock structure in watersheds. Project will also use simulation modeling to examine the leading hypotheses on stock structure and mixing of alewife. East Branch Penobscot River Habitat Connectivity (ME) Atlantic Salmon Federation (U.S.), Inc. Award Amount... $ 40,000 Grantee Match... $ 80,000 Total Project... $120,000 Prioritize stream barrier removals and work with large private landowners to implement properly designed road stream crossing projects in. Project will identify river herring restoration opportunities in the the East Branch Penobscot River watershed. Damariscotta Mills "Lower Middle" Fish Ladder Restoration Nobleboro Historical Society Award Amount... $ 92,505 Grantee Match... $116,000 Total Project... $208,505 Continue restoration of the Damariscotta Mills stone fish ladder to improve river herring passage to Damariscotta Lake in. Project will rebuild the middle third poriton of the fish ladder by completing consturction of 23 pools. Pushaw Lake Fishway (ME) Atlantic Salmon Federation (U.S.), Inc. Award Amount... $45,000 Grantee Match... $51,000 Total Project... $96,000 Construct a fishway at the outlet dam of Pushaw Lake, a high priority lake in 's Penobscot River watershed. Project will restore access to approximatly 5,000 acre of high quality alewife spawning habitat.

River Herring Restoration in Penobscot River (ME) Penobscot River Restoration Trust Award Amount... $300,000 Grantee Match... $300,000 Total Project... $600,000 Restore river herring and other sea run fish to the Penobscot River by opening access at four barriers while maintaining energy. Project will remove the Veazie Dam and provide overall management and oversight support for additional Penobscot River restoration projects. Citizen Science's Role in Sustainable River Herring Harvest University of Southern, Massachusetts, New Hampshire Award Amount... $ 96,661 Grantee Match... $ 97,241 Total Project... $193,902 Assess the accuracy of citizen science monitoring efforts in producing river herring run counts that inform management and help maintain sustainable harvests in. Project will engage volunteers, coordinators, and managers to evaluate key lessons and opportunities to enhance volunteer river herring monitoring programs in New England. Damariscotta Mills "Lower Middle" Fish Ladder Restoration II Nobleboro Historical Society Award Amount... $135,000 Grantee Match... $155,000 Total Project... $290,000 Finish restoration of the Damariscotta Mills stone fish ladder to improve river herring passage to Damariscotta Lake in. Project will finalize construction of 30 existing pools and rebuild an additoin 16 pools to complete the restoration of the fish ladder. Penobscot River Herring Fishways (ME) Atlantic Salmon Federation (U.S.), Inc. Award Amount... $125,000 Grantee Match... $125,000 Total Project... $250,000 Construct fishways on three high priority sites to restore river herring in s Penobscot River watershed. Project will restore alewife populations to 3,496 acres of pond spawning habitat and open 36 river miles of habitat for blueback herring, Atlantic salmon, and American eel.

Increasing Monitoring Capacity for Sustainable Harvests (ME) Department of Marine Resources Award Amount... $ 88,914 Grantee Match... $103,812 Total Project... $192,726 Utilize local trainings, online platforms, and outreach materials to engage partners and volunteers in monitoring river herring runs in. Project will provide monitoring, restoration, and technical support to towns as they evaluate the feasibility of establishing sustainable harvests. Measuring Reproductive Success of River Herring in New England Coastal Waters University of Massachusetts, Massachusetts, New Hampshire Award Amount... $174,304 Grantee Match... $174,304 Total Project... $348,608 Combine historic techniques and newer genetic methods to provide a more accurate and cost effective methodology for evaluating the spawning activity and juvenile population size of river herring in key coastal waters. Project will provide novel data to enhance monitoring and population modeling of river herring and will directly support ongoing bycatch, age and growth, and productivity studies. Improving the Operating Efficiency of Fish Ladders for River Herring Passage in the St. Croix River (ME) Passamaquoddy Tribe Pleasant Point Award Amount... $ 75,400 Grantee Match... $ 75,400 Total Project... $150,800 Improve monitoring and passage of alewife river herring across the Milltown Dam on the St. Croix River in. Project will establish more robust and less labor intensive monitoring techniques to establish accurate river herring run counts and will gather data on barriers to fish passage across the dam. Increasing River Herring Monitoring and Restoration in Eastern Downeast Salmon Federation Award Amount... $147,830 Grantee Match... $178,843 Total Project... $326,673 Coordinate a comprehensive river herring monitoring and restoration program across eastern. Project will develop a citizen science program to mobilize local volunteers in fisheries investigation and management by collecting long term population and habitat data to inform municipal harvests.

Upriver migration of adult alewife Photo Credit: Graham Sherwood CHESAPEAKE BAY Imaging Sonar Run Counts of River Herring in Chesapeake Bay Smithsonian Institution Maryland Award Amount... $202,533 Grantee Match... $202,533 Total Project... $405,066 Develop imaging sonar tool for counting river herring in Chesapeake Bay. Project will establish scientifically rigorous run counts for alewife and blueback herring in spawning streams. Imaging Sonar Run Counts of River Herring in Chesapeake Bay II Smithsonian Institution Maryland Award Amount... $100,711 Grantee Match... $100,753 Total Project... $201,464 Develop a network of groups engaged in river herring research and a draft plan for monitoring spawning runs. Project will complete the development of rigorous imaging sonar method for run counts. River Herring Spawning Run Monitoring in Chesapeake Bay (VA, MD) Smithsonian Institution Maryland, Virginia Award Amount... $ 96,853 Grantee Match... $ 96,873 Total Project... $193,726 Provide scientifically rigorous imaging sonar run counts of river herring in key Chesapeake Bay spawning streams. Project will augment run counts with watershed scale habitat use surveys.

Monitoring River Herring Stocks in the Pamunkey River (VA) College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science Virginia Award Amount... $128,049 Grantee Match... $128,508 Total Project... $256,557 Use sonar to monitor spawning stock of river herring in the Pamunkey River, a York River tributary. Project will provide data currently unavailable for a river of historical importance to the herring fishery in Virginia. River Herring Spawning Run Monitoring in Chesapeake Bay II (VA, MD) Smithsonian Institution Maryland, Virginia Award Amount... $245,266 Grantee Match... $245,266 Total Project... $490,532 Continue the fourth year of consecutive run counts on the Choptank River and establish a new run count on the Patapsco River prior to the pending Bloede Dam removal. Project will also conduct spawning habitat use assessments in four additional watersheds, completing baseline assessments in a total of ten watersheds. SOUTHEAST Assessing Blueback Herring Run Counts in the Cooper River (SC) South Carolina Department of Natural Resources South Carolina Award Amount... $118730 Grantee Match... $118730 Total Project... $237460 Support effective management of blueback herring throughout the Santee Cooper system by monitoring annual spring run counts in the Cooper River using imaging sonar. The project will provide data that will help complete the picture of blueback herring runs into the Santee Cooper System and run count data will be used to assess blueback herring population trends. COASTWIDE Incentive based Tools to Revive River Herring Populations Environmental Defense Fund, Inc. Award Amount... $160,290 Grantee Match... $162,954 Total Project... $323,244 Evaluate bycatch in the sea herring fishery and its impacts on river herring along the Atlantic Coast. Project will conduct research, technical analyses, and outreach to propose a catch share system to manage river herring bycatch mortality.

Determining the Origins of River Herring Bycatch Duke University and University of California Santa Cruz Award Amount... $310,878 Grantee Match... $310,902 Total Project... $621,780 Determine the natal origins of river herring bycatch using a combination of molecular genetics and otolith geochemical markers. Project will define regional genetic stocks, as well as assess the effects of hybridization, stocking, and ocean bycatch on the conservation status of river herring species. Identifying and Securing Key Diadromous Fish Communities Trout Unlimited, Inc. Award Amount... $ 48,977 Grantee Match... $ 63,670 Total Project... $112,647 Conduct an assessment of Atlantic Coast watersheds for river herring and diadromous fish conservation. Project will identify and prioritize opportunities to restore and protect coastal watersheds for native diadromous fish communities from to Virginia. River Herring Restoration Needs Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Award Amount... $ 49,000 Grantee Match... $ 51,607 Total Project... $100,607 Prioritize, plan, and strategize river herring needs in the Southern New England, Mid Atlantic and Southeast regions. Project will engage river herring experts and stakeholders throughout the Atlantic coast in partnership with the University of New Hampshire and The Nature Conservancy. Stock specific Bycatch Mapping for River Herring University of California Santa Cruz Award Amount... $ 99,982 Grantee Match... $ 99,982 Total Project... $199,964 Conduct genetic analysis to determine the genetic stock, or coastal origin, of river herring taken as bycatch in marine fisheries. Project will provide fisheries managers with critical predictions for how proposed bycatch management scenarios will impact the most threatened alewife and blueback herring stocks.

ADDITIONAL FUNDING PROGRAMS In addition to the River Herring Program, a suite of additional grants were funded through other NFWF programs that have contributed to significant conversation gains throughout river herring s range. Designing a River Herring Catch Share for the East Coast University of New Hampshire Fisheries Innovation Fund Award Amount... $142,700 Grantee Match... $ 1,500 Total Project... $144,200 Develop a conceptual model for the first anadromous fish catch share in the United States. Project will gather existing information to design a river herring catch share. Bycatch Avoidance Network for River Herring/Butterfish (NY) Cornell Cooperative Extension Association of Suffolk County Fisheries Innovation Fund Award Amount... $ 99,932 Grantee Match... $ 50,000 Total Project... $149,932 Initiate a fleet communication system among squid fishing vessels that will report real time observations of butterfish and river herring/shad bycatch hotspots in New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. Project will reduce fleet wide bycatch to protect sensitive butterfish and river herring populations. Incentive based Tools to Restore River Herring in Environmental Defense Fund, Inc. Gulf of Environmental Compliance & Protection Fund Award Amount... $ 69,614 Grantee Match... $ 94,134 Total Project... $163,748 Evaluate bycatch in the sea herring fishery and its impacts on river herring in. Project will conduct research, technical analyses, and outreach to propose a catch share system to manage river herring bycatch mortality. Alewife Stock Structure in the Gulf of Gulf of Research Institute Gulf of Environmental Compliance & Protection Fund Award Amount... $275,651 Grantee Match... $296,787 Total Project... $572,438 Quantify and define alewife stock structure in coastal watersheds. Project will evaluate potential impact of high mortality events, such as bycatch or oil spills, on stocks in the Gulf of.

Bycatch Survey of the Atlantic Herring Bottom Trawl Fishery Department of Marine Resources Gulf of Environmental Compliance & Protection Fund Award Amount... $226,996 Grantee Match... $ 15,916 Total Project... $242,912 Expand port side bycatch surveys with at sea observers to document bycatch in the small mesh bottom trawl fishery targeting Atlantic herring. Project will pilot state run at sea observers to complement federal observers and bolster river herring bycatch monitoring in. River Herring Bycatch Avoidance In Small Mesh Fisheries NJ University of Massachusetts NJ Coastal Conservation Program Dalnave Award Amount... $116,696 Grantee Match... $124,911 Total Project... $241,607 Develop river herring bycatch avoidance incentive systems based on models that identify and predict high concentrations of river herring. Project will help to minimize bycatch of river herring in the Atlantic herring and mackerel fisheries off the New Jersey coast. Fish Passage Improvement on the Farmington River (CT) Farmington River Watershed Association, Inc. Long Island Sound Futures Fund Award Amount... $ 60,000 Grantee Match... $ 60,000 Total Project... $120,000 Finalize engineering, permitting, and contracting necessary to remove Spoonville Dam. Project will involve onsite mobilization in preparation for work in the water after July 31, 2012. Pond Lily Dam Removal Planning and Design Project (CT) Town of Woodbridge, Connecticut Long Island Sound Futures Fund Award Amount... $ 60,000 Grantee Match... $ 76,050 Total Project... $136,050 Complete the planning and design work needed to remove Pond Lily Dam in the West River, New Haven, CT. Project will expand river herring passage to 1.7 river miles and to 60 acres of spawning habitat for native fish.

Gravel Run Fish Passage and Habitat Restoration (MD) Town of Centreville, Maryland Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grants Award Amount... $161,731 Grantee Match... $ 77,998 Total Project... $239,729 Integrate floodplain management and habitat restoration in order to restore access to 13 miles of high quality habitat for herring, perch, and American eel. Project will support planning to improve fish passage in the Corsica River watershed. Determining the Origins of River Herring Bycatch Duke University NJ Coastal Conservation Program Dalnave Award Amount... $49,838 Grantee Match... $00,000 Total Project... $49,838 Determine the natal origins of river herring bycatch using a combination of molecular genetics and otolith geochemical markers. Project will define regional genetic stocks, as well as assess the effects of hybridization, stocking, and ocean bycatch on the conservation status of river herring species. Determining the Origins of River Herring Bycatch II University of California Santa Cruz NJ Coastal Conservation Program Dalnave Award Amount... $67,651 Grantee Match... $00,000 Total Project... $67,651 Determine the natal origins of river herring bycatch using a combination of molecular genetics and otolith geochemical markers. Project will define regional genetic stocks, as well as assess the effects of hybridization, stocking, and ocean bycatch on the conservation status of river herring species.