American shad and striped bass are anadromous, which means they're migratory fish that hatch upriver in freshwater then swim to the ocean where they spend most of their life before returning upstream to spawn. They're migration routes stretch for miles through fresh and saltwater habitats in the Cape Fear. Lock and Dam #1, located roughly 32 miles upriver of Wilmington, has been modified because studies show that migratory fish will travel far beyond this first dam to reach their natural spawning grounds. 

 

In hopes of continuing the conservation progress made by the Cape Fear River Partnership, the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries is working to evaluate the economic importance of these species to North Carolina. 

 

Methods include conducting field surveys with anglers to get an idea of their fishing expenditures and understand how fishermen value their fishing experience. Recreational fishing effort data and commercial landings in the Lower Cape Fear were also collected to better assess the economic impact of the fisheries occurring there. 

 

American shad is by far the most commonly caught migratory species for recreational anglers in the middle Cape Fear. When looking at all commercial and recreational fishing in the Lower Cape Fear, fisheries were found to support several million dollars in economic activity annually. 

 

Improving these fish stocks will increase the economic returns provided by fisheries and improve benefits to people that either directly or indirectly utilize fishery resources. 

 

Additional resources:

• Silver Spawners: Restoring Shad to the Cape Fear

• Otolith Chemistry to Determine Within-River Origins of Alabama Shad in the Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint River Basin

• Using Hard-Part Microchemistry to Advance Conservation and Management of North American Freshwater Fishes