Under new state fisheries regulations all recreational and commercial harvest of river herring has been closed. The closure was made to bring Delaware into compliance with Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) requirements. Fisheries program manager and biologist Stewart Michels said that the commission decide to close the fishery in response to serious declines in river herring populations, including a commercial decline to very low levels coastwide.
Much of the commercial river herring catch in Delaware traditionally has come from the Nanticoke River and its tributaries. Presently much of the rive herring has been use as bat in the striped bass hook and line fishery. New regulations of Delaware on river herring were amended following public hearings and consideration of public input.
