River Herring and American Shad
NH Fish and Game's Marine Fisheries Division monitors the annual spring spawning runs of anadromous fish, such as river herring (alewives and blueback herring) and American shad, in six coastal and estuarine river systems along the coast of New Hampshire, with the goal of restoring these spawning runs to historic levels.
Anadromous fish migrate between the ocean and freshwater during various life stages.
Annual Spawning Run Updates
Each year Fish and Game biologists open the Department's six fish ladders at the beginning of April to monitor anadromous fish spawning runs in New Hampshire's coastal rivers.
The following Table shows the river herring spawning run totals passing through the Department’s monitored fish ladders since the construction of these fishways. As this year’s spawning runs commence (generally mid-April through the end of June) we will be updating this page with bi-weekly totals.
River Herring Spawning Run Totals | |||||||
Year | Cocheco River | Exeter River | Oyster River | Lamprey River | Taylor River | Winnicut River | Annual total |
1972 | 2,528 | + | 2,528 | ||||
1973 | 1,380 | + | 1,380 | ||||
1974 | 1,627 | + | 1,627 | ||||
1975 | 2,639 | 2,882 | + | 5,521 | |||
1976 | 9,500 | 11,777 | 3,951 | 450,000 | + | 475,228 | |
1977 | 29,500 | 359 | 11,256 | 2,700++ | 43,815 | ||
1978 | 1,925 | 205 | 419 | 20,461 | 168,256 | 3,229++ | 194,495 |
1979 | 586 | 186 | 496 | 23,747 | 375,302 | 3,410++ | 403,727 |
1980 | 7,713 | 2,516 | 2,921 | 26,512 | 205,420 | 4,393++ | 249,475 |
1981 | 6,559 | 15,626 | 5,099 | 50,226 | 94,060 | 2,316++ | 173,886 |
1982 | 4,129 | 542 | 6,563 | 66,189 | 126,182 | 2,500++ | 206,105 |
1983 | 968 | 1 | 8,866 | 54,546 | 151,100 | + | 215,481 |
1984 | 477 | 5,179 | 40,213 | 45,600 | + | 91,469 | |
1985 | 974 | 4,116 | 54,365 | 108,201 | + | 167,656 | |
1986 | 2,612 | 1,125 | 93,024 | 46,623 | 117,000 | 1,000++ | 261,384 |
1987 | 3,557 | 220 | 57,745 | 45,895 | 63,514 | + | 170,931 |
1988 | 3,915 | 73,866 | 31,897 | 30,297 | + | 139,975 | |
1989 | 18,455 | 38,925 | 26,149 | 41,395 | + | 124,924 | |
1990 | 31,697 | 154,588 | 25,457 | 27,210 | + | 238,952 | |
1991 | 25,753 | 313 | 151,975 | 29,871 | 46,392 | + | 254,304 |
1992 | 72,491 | 537 | 157,024 | 16,511 | 49,108 | + | 295,671 |
1993 | 40,372 | 278 | 73,788 | 25,289 | 84,859 | + | 224,586 |
1994 | 33,140 | * | 91,974 | 14,119 | 42,164 | + | 181,397 |
1995 | 79,385 | 592 | 82,895 | 15,904 | 14,757 | + | 193,533 |
1996 | 32,767 | 248 | 82,362 | 11,200 | 10,113 | + | 136,690 |
1997 | 31,182 | 1,302 | 57,920 | 22,236 | 20,420 | + | 133,060 |
1998 | 25,277 | 392 | 85,116 | 15,947 | 11,979 | 219 | 138,930 |
1999 | 16,679 | 2,821 | 88,063 | 20,067 | 25,197 | 305 | 153,132 |
2000 | 30,938 | 533 | 70,873 | 25,678 | 44,010 | 528 | 172,560 |
2001 | 46,590 | 6,703 | 66,989 | 39,330 | 7,065 | 1,118 | 167,795 |
2002 | 62,472 | 3,341 | 58,179 | 58,065 | 5,829 | 7,041 | 194,927 |
2003 | 71,199 | 71 | 51,536 | 64,486 | 1,397 | 5,427 | 194,116 |
2004 | 47,934 | 83 | 52,934 | 66,333 | 1,055 | 8,044 | 176,383 |
2005 | 16,446 | 66 | 12,882 | 40,026 | 233 | 2,703 | 72,356 |
2006 | 4,318 | 16 | 6,035 | 23,471 | 147 | 822 | 34,809 |
2007 | 15,815 | 40 | 17,421 | 55,225 | 217** | 7,543 | 96,261 |
2008 | 30,686 | 168 | 20,780 | 36,247 | 976 | 8,359 | 97,214 |
2009 | 36,165 | 513 | 11,661 | 42,425 | * | 4,974 | 95,737 |
2010 | 32,654 | 69 | 19,006 | 33,327 | 675 | 576+++ | 86,307 |
2011 | 43,090 | 256 | 4,755 | 50,447 | 59 | 72+++ | 99,338 |
2012 | 27,608 | 378 | 2,573 | 86,862 | 92 | 5+++ | 117,518 |
2013 | 18,337 | 588 | 7,149 | 79,408 | 128 | 0 | 105,610 |
2014 | 29,968 | 789 | 4,227 | 84,868 | 57 | 0 | 119,909 |
2015 | 64,456 | 5,562 | 1,803 | 69,843 | * | 0 | 141,664 |
2016 | 99,241 | 6,622 | 863 | 92,364 | * | 0 | 199,090 |
2017 | 28,926 | *** | 4,492 | 35,920 | * | 0 | 69,338 |
* - Swim through operation
** -Due to fish counter malfunction there was up to two weeks where passing fish were not enumerated
*** - Sea lamprey inundation caused fish counter to false count.
+ - Fishway unable to pass fish until modifications in 1997.
++ - Fish netted below and hand passed over Winnicut River Dam.
+++ - Minimum estimate based on time counts, fishway/dam removed in fall 2009.