Closing the Loop: Characterizing habitat requirements, movements, and life stage linkages of river herring in Massachusetts watersheds

Summary

Adult river herring are relatively well monitored as they migrate from the ocean to freshwater spawning ponds in the spring. But there is sparse information on the density, mortality, and resource needs of juvenile life stages and the link between spawning adults and the success of their offspring. The PIs will explore emigrating river herring in freshwater, riverine, and estuarine environments. The project will: characterize density, growth, and mortality of juvenile river herring in estuaries and upstream lakes; assess age, size, and timing of juvenile river herring during emigration from freshwater to estuarine habitats; and evaluate relationships between spawning adults, juvenile abundance and timing of movements to identify conditions that promote growth and survival.