Determining Appropriate Restoration Targets for Fisheries Under Moratorium: American Shad in the Chesapeake Bay

In November of 1997, the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee (CBSAC) held a workshop that focused on the monitoring of alosids. The participants of this workshop concluded that current monitoring was providing useful information on restoration activities being conducted, however, there are monitoring and information gaps concerning stock assessments and tributary specific needs such as population sizes and habitats. STAC conducted a follow up workshop to continue cross-jurisdictional discussions relative to the management of the American Shad. The Chesapeake 2000 agreement calls for the assessment of trends in priority migratory species as well as for the development of tributary specific population targets by 2002. This workshop gathered experts involved in alosid and other migratory species research and monitoring to evaluate the current monitoring approach as it relates to the recovery of American Shad, and these experts discussed the methods by which target population sizes for priority species can be established. Emphasis was placed on identifying and evaluating methods that could be used to develop tributary-specific targets for the restoration of alosid fishes in the Chesapeake Bay.