Moir's Environmental Dialogues, Ocean River Shields of Achilles

With the knowledge of Carson and the courage of Achilles, individuals are steadfastly going the distance to defend wildlife and ecosystems from assaults of environmental degradations and destructions. Join environmental studies scientist Dr. Rob Moir for lively dialogue and revealing narrative inquiry into how individuals are overcoming the obstacles turning forlorn hope into effective actions for oceans, rivers, watersheds, wildlife and ecosystems. Discover how listening to individuals, thinking locally, and acting in concert with others, you can act to save ecosystems. Act to bring about a greener and blue Planet Earth. Moir’s Environmental Dialogues is broadcast live every Wednesday at 9 AM Pacific Time on The Green Talk Network. For free iTunes podcast search "Moir's."

35. River Herring Troubles in the Gulf of Maine & Western Atlantic Ocean

Dr. Jamie M. Cournane talks with Rob about herring. Jamie gave an excellent report in December on herring to a committee of the New England Fisheries Management Council in Portsmouth. Blueback herring and alewives are riverherring. They are anadromous, ascending rivers to reproduce. These fish school with similar-sized euryhaline fish that spawn in estuaries - Atlantic herring, shad and menhaden. Riverherring spend many years at sea feeding on zooplankton. Plankton migrates vertically through the ocean, up during night, down during the day. Currents move fish and forage food horizontally creating a merry-go-round of fishing opportunities. Jamie mapped "hot spots" of riverherring bycatch by trawlers and seiners that target Atlantic herring. Where fish are more likely to be found during specific months of the year was charted. Fisheries managers can use this spatial/depth/time information to better manage for survival of riverherring. Also told is how one became a marine biologist and what we can do to help riverherring.

DEVELOPING ALTERNATIVES TO MITIGATE RIVER HERRING BYCATCH AT SEA Jamie Marie Cournane, Member of the NEFMC Atlantic Herring Plan Development Team, May 2010.

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