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Stand By You

Well, this is one of those posts that doesn't have anything to do with fishing... or does it?

Anyway, check out the following link Stand By Me and decide for yourself. Just be certain to turn up the sound and watch the whole video.

DEC Considers New Fishing Regulations to Protect Delaware River American Shad

Thursday, June 11, 2009

DEC Considers New Fishing Regulations to Protect Delaware River American Shad Meetings Announced to Obtain Public Input on Potential Reduction in Daily Creel Limits

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will be holding two public information meetings on potential recreational fishing regulation changes being considered for Delaware River American shad. The shad population is in significant decline and in need of rebuilding, prompting DEC to pursue decreasing the current daily creel limit from six fish to three fish.

New York in cooperation with other Delaware River Basin states (Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey) and other coastal states recently completed a stock assessment of Delaware River shad that indicates the stock is at historic lows. The assessment was part of a coast-wide assessment of American shad stocks conducted under the coordination of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, of which New York is a member. The Delaware River shad abundance declined substantially in the early 1900s and has declined further since the early 1990s. Juvenile production has varied without trend since the late 1980s.

In New York, recreational fishing on the Delaware River usually takes place from late April through early June, when shad move into the river to spawn. Changes to the daily creel limit would help reduce the amount of adult shad taken by recreational fishing in the New York waters of the Delaware and its tributaries. Pennsylvania has already initiated a regulation change consistent with the changes DEC is considering.

Public scoping meetings are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 17, at the Port Jervis Council Chamber, 20 Hammond Street, Port Jervis in Orange County, and for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23, at the Hancock Town Hall, 661 West Main Street, Hancock in Delaware County.

Following the input received at the meetings, DEC staff will discuss what changes may be formally proposed. Changes will likely be part of a proposed sportfishing regulation package being developed now and anticipated to be released later this summer. For further information regarding New York's current fishing regulations, please visit the DEC website.

For additional information on this meeting, please contact the Bureau of Marine Resources at (845)-256-3072, 845-256-3071 or r3hrf@gw.dec.state.ny.us .

Decree Parties Take Steps to Improve Delaware River Flow Plan

Harrisburg, PA – Modifications to the Delaware River flow plan by the parties to the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decree on the Delaware River, announced Monday by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), represent a modest step toward meeting the needs of fish and aquatic organisms within our waters, the Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) said today.

"We recognize the national importance of the Delaware River fishery and the dependence of aquatic life on releases from New York City’s Delaware River reservoirs," said PFBC Executive Director Douglas Austen. “Recent developments by the Decree parties to begin increasing seasonal releases and to eliminate harmful flow fluctuations represent positive movement toward the Commission’s goal of optimizing the fishery by better management of water for downstream uses. But this is just the beginning and a lot of work still has to be done.”

On Monday the DEP announced that Pennsylvania, New York City and other states in the Delaware River Basin, known as the decree parties, had reached two agreements regarding the flow plan that governs New York City and Delaware Basin reservoir diversions and releases under the terms of a 1954 U.S. Supreme Court Decree.

The first agreement – in effect for this summer only - attempts to improve protection of trout from the stresses of high temperatures in the West Branch of the Delaware River by marginally increasing cold water releases this summer from NYC’s Cannonsville Reservoir during the period from June 1 through August 31.

The second agreement reduces the rapid increases or decreases in the reservoir conservation release rates (known as the yo-yo effect or bouncing) by allowing New York City the flexibility to more evenly adjust releases from the reservoirs over periods of up to seven consecutive days when reservoir storage levels are rapidly fluctuating in the spring and fall. The bouncing effect is harmful to wildlife in the river habitat.

“The Commission's long term goal is to work with the decree parties and the Delaware River Basin Commission to develop water release schedules that best benefit aquatic life within the Upper Delaware System consistent with safe and sustainable mandated uses of the reservoirs,” stated Norm Gavlick, PFBC Commissioner for District 7 which covers the eight northeast Pennsylvania counties. “The schedules would attempt to meet environmental needs consistent with changes in water availability due to changes in water supply demand, precipitation and reservoir storage in the upper Delaware system.”

The Flexible Flow Management Program was originally adopted in September 2007 and amended in December 2008. The program and its associated agreements are available at http://water.usgs.gov/osw/odrm/.

The mission of the Fish and Boat Commission is to protect, conserve, and enhance the Commonwealth’s aquatic resources and provide fishing and boating opportunities. For more information about fishing and boating in Pennsylvania, please visit our website at www.fishandboat.com.