Environment DEC
From the September 2003 issue
Delaware River Catch-and- Release Catches On
More than 80 percent of American shad and nearly all striped bass caught in the Delaware River are released by recreational anglers, according to a recent study funded by the states of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, with technical assistance provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Catch-and-Release Surpasses Harvesting
The first comprehensive study of recreational angling on the Delaware River indicates that Catch-and-Release fishing is predominant. Between mid March and October 2002, the Delaware River saw an estimated 120,042 trips by anglers. Their catch consisted of 35,281 American shad and 36,328 striped bass, of which 6,627 and 538 respectively, were harvested. Smallmouth bass was the most commonly caught species (98,393), followed by channel catfish (58,703). The study used airplanes to estimate the number of anglers, and anglers were interviewed at several access sites along the river.
Additional Study Results
The largest of New York State's herring,
American shad are very important commercial
and sportfish along the Atlantic coast
(Image courtesy USFWS)
Other findings included the following:
- Few river herring were caught, 65 percent of which were harvested, most likely for live bait.
- Fishing for American shad decreased in 2002 compared with results from smaller-scale surveys in 1986 and 1995, although the catch rates are similar.
- About 20,000 fishing trips were at night, both in the tidal and non-tidal portions of the river.
- Some 4,454 striped bass were caught at night in the tidal part of the river; no shad or river herring were caught at night.
- Catfish and eel dominated the night harvest in the non-tidal river.
"I am very pleased that four states through which the river flows were able to cooperatively fund such a large-scale study," said Jed Brown, the Delaware River Fisheries Coordinator for the USFWS. "The survey results will be invaluable to both fishery managers and anglers."
