The days when herring were so plentiful in the rivers of Delaware that you could almost walk across them are over, and now there's increasing fear that even seeing one in years to come will be a rarity.
That's why, according to Delaware Online, Delaware's Fisheries managers are holding a meeting tonight to take comment on the proposal to list herring as a threatened species, and thereby prohibit the harvest of them.
Dams that have blocked their migration along with netting of the fish have both contributed to their precipitous decline. Maryland and New Jersey are also considering proposals that would enact better protection measures for the fish in 2012. Listing them as a threatened species under the Endangered Species act would mandate changes on their harvest, and the conditions of bodies of water where the valuable fish, an important staple in the food chain, thrive. We'll let you know what happens. – Rick Bach
In Montana, they're shaking up regulations to protect another important fish.
