Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs– All of the State Departments, Divisions and Programs that work on river herring and river herring related issues are organized under this office.
Department of Fish and Game– Most State Divisions and Programs that work on river herring are organized under the Department of Fish and Game
Division of Marine Fisheries– “DMF” is also know as MarineFisheries. MarineFisheries is responsible for the management and restoration of river herring in Massachusetts, and the promulgation of regulations and statutes related to diadromous fish resources in coastal rivers in Massachuetts. Marine Fisheries is responsible for the management and restoration of saltwater fish in Massachusetts and the promulgation of regulations and statutes related to diadromous fish resources in inland waters of Massachusetts. MarineFisheries takes the state lead on Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) review related to diadromous fish in Massachusetts.
Division of Fisheries and Wildlife– DFW is also referred to as “Mass Wildlife”. This Division focuses on the freshwater fish resources of the Commonwealth and works on river herring issues in the Connecticut River.
Division of Ecological Restoration– The mission of the DER is to restore and protect the Commonwealth’s rivers, wetlands and watersheds for the benefit of people and the environment. DER’s restoration projects can benefit river herring and other diadromous fish.
DMF Publications on or Relating to River Herring
A Guide to Viewing River Herring in Coastal Massachusetts – Informational brochure
Mass Wildlife Magazine Article about River Herring – MAWILD-DMF-River_herring_article
Chase, B.C. May 2010. Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP) for Water Quality Measurements Conducted for Diadromous Fish Habitat Monitoring, Version 1.0, 2008-2012. Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Technical Report TR-42. Available at: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/publications/technical.htm
Several Reports have now been completed using this monitoring methodology:
Silver Lake (Halifax, Kingston, Pembroke) – Jones River Watershed
Great Pond & Sunset Lake (Braintree, Randolph) – Fore River Watershed
Upper Mystic Lake (Arlington, Medford, Winchester) – Mystic River Watershed
Cieri, Matthew, G. Nelson and M. Armstrong. 2008. Estimates of River Herring Bycatch in the Directed Atlantic Herring Fishery. http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dfg/dmf/river-herring-bycatch-cieri-et-al.pdf
Evans, N.T., K.H. Ford, B.C. Chase, and J.J. Sheppard. 2011. Recommended time-of-year restrictions (TOYs) for coastal alteration projects to protect marine fisheries resources in Massachusetts. TR-47. Available at: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/publications/technical.htm
Nelson, G.A. 2006. A guide to statistical sampling for the estimation of river herring run size using visual counts. Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Technical Report TR-25. Available at: http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dfg/dmf/publications/tr-25.pdf
Nelson, G.A., P.D. Brady, J.J. Sheppard, and M.P. Armstrong. 2011. An assessment of river herring stocks in Massachusetts. Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Technical Report TR-46. Available at: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/publications/technical.htm
Nelson, G.A., B.C. Chase, and J.D. Stockwell. 2006. Population consumption of fish and invertebrate prey by Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) from coastal waters of northern Massachusetts, USA. Journal Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Science, Vol. 36: 111-126. Available at: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/publications/technical.htm
Sheppard, J.J., S. Block, H.L. Becker, and D. Quinn. 2014. The Acushnet River Restoration Project: Restoring Diadromous Populations to a Superfund Site in Southeastern Massachusetts.TR-56 Available at: http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dfg/dmf/publications/tr-56.pdf
Reback, K.E., P.D. Brady, K.D. McLaughlin, and C.G. Milliken. 2004. A survey of anadromous fish passage in coastal Massachusetts. Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Technical Reports TR-15 TR-16, TR-17 and TR-18 Available at: http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dmf/publications/technical.html
There are reports for 4 Regions of Massachusetts: Southeastern, Cape Cod & The Islands, South Coastal, and Boston &
North Coastal. Look for them on the Technical Publications page.