Anadromous Species of the Cape Fear River System 

American Shad, Hickory Shad

Throughout the history of settlement on the Cape Fear River, the spring spawning run of the American shad (Alosa sapidissima) and Hickory shad (Alosa mediocris) has supported a very important commercial and recreational fishery.  Commercial landings of these species have shown a gradual decline since the early 1970's, indicating a decrease in their population size.  To stem any further decline in their numbers, the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries enacted a Fisheries Management Plan for the American shad.  In 1998 an amendment to the Interstate Management Plan for American Shad included a phase out of the offshore shad fishery over a five-year period beginning in 1999.  American shad migrate from Canada to Florida.  The offshore fishery intercepts shad that are migrating south to spawn in the rivers and streams they originated from.  If North Carolina shad are being captured in Massachusetts, resource managers here cannot regulate the shad fishery properly.  With the offshore phase out, the inshore Cape Fear River shad fishery will become even more important.  Catch-Per-Unit-Effort data have shown large fluctuations over the four seasons of sampling, but no distinct trends or statistically significant changes .  

Picture 1:  An American shad with abdomen cut away revealing the roe.

Picture 2:  Hickory Shad                                                                       

Striped Bass

Striped bass (Morone saxitilis) are one of 7 anadromous species found in the Cape Fear River system.  Due to dramatic drops in the population, a coast wide moratorium on striped bass fishing was imposed from 1985 to 1990.  Although striped bass populations in other N. C. drainages  have rebounded, the Cape Fear River striped bass population has not (Mallin et. al. 1998,1999,2000).  Although declines in water quality and the introduction and possible predation and competition by nonnative catfishes are probably contributing to the problem, one specific culprit could be competition from hybrid striped bass.  Gillnet surveys showed the average catch-per-unit effort of striped bass from 1990 to 1992 was cut in half when compared to the catch-per-unit average from 1996 to 1999. Unfortunately, the same survey showed a more than doubling of the catch-per-unit-effort of hybrid striped bass during the same time period (Patrick and Moser 2000).  Tag and recapture data and the capture of spent hybrid females also indicate that the hybrid striped bass conduct a spawning run with the striped bass and may be competing for mates and spawning habitat.  The true striped bass and the hybrids have a very high diet overlap.  If food resources, spawning habitat, or spawning partners are limited, it is likely that the hybrids are depressing the true striped bass population in the Cape Fear. Despite a significant increase in the 1999 spring shocking and trawling catch-per-unit-effort, overall striped bass abundance remains low in the Cape Fear River system.

Hybrid-striped bass

Hybrid striped bass are a hybrid of striped bass (Morone saxatalis) and white bass (Morone chrysops).  They have been stocked as a put and take fishery in Lake Jordon nearly every year since 1983.  The hybrids are introduced to the Cape Fear River by flooding events.  Through competition, hybrids utilize the resources normally available to striped bass (Patrick and Moser 2001). Hybrids do not reproduce and so the resources they keep from striped bass are not converted into reproduction.  As a result of competition with hybrids, striped bass may not be as healthy and in turn, not produce as many juveniles.  Tag and recapture data from studies conducted in this drainage suggested that hybrids conduct a spawning run with true striped bass as has been documented in other systems (Patrick and Moser 2001, Bishop 1967).  Due to competition with true striped bass for food resources and spawning habitat, hybrid striped bass are likely having a negative impact on the striped bass population in the Cape Fear River system.  Catch-per-unit-effort data showed a statistically significant drop in the fall gill net samples (Figure 32).  While commercial landings of striped bass in North Carolina have shown a gradual increase since 1990.  Landings in the Cape Fear System remain low and this is the only river in North Carolina that stocks hybrid striped bass.  Although the hybrid striped bass population appears to be decreasing, future surveys should examine whether this trend continues.

Picture1:  Dr. Thomas Lankford holding a striped bass.

Picture 2:  A hybrid striped bass                                    

Alewife, Blueback Herring

Atlantic Sturgeon, Shortnose Sturgeon

Historically, North Carolina supported a large sturgeon fishery.  Due to overfishing, habitat degradation, and the Lock and Dam system construction, the Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus) is currently classified as a threatened species in North Carolina and their possession has been banned since 1991. The shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) also occurs in this drainage (Moser and Ross 1995) and has undergone such a dramatic population decline that it has been federally listed as a endangered species.  Both species of sturgeon can live over 60 years.  While the shortnose reaches it's maximum size at around 100 cm (3.33 feet) the Atlantic sturgeon can attain sizes exceeding 300 cm (9.8 feet) and 270 kg (>600 pounds). Sturgeon are harvested for the meat, their swim bladders to make insinglass, the cartilagenous backbone to make emulsifiers and thickeners, their skin to make leather products, and most importantly, the roe, which can be made into high quality caviar (Williams and Moser 1999).  With American sturgeon caviar currently selling for $192.00 a pound and smoked sturgeon selling for $14.00 a pound, sturgeon fishing can be very lucrative. Unfortunately, Atlantic sturgeon reproduce for the first time between 7 and 28 years, depending on their latitude.  With the fishery being so lucrative and the fish having to go through a minimum of 7 years of fishing pressure before they can reproduce, overfishing can quickly become a problem.  Recent catches of ripe sturgeon and the regular catches of juveniles in this survey indicate a reproducing population in this drainage.  Catch-per-unit-effort from this survey shows a fluctuating but stable juvenile population in the Cape Fear River system.

Picture 1:  Michael Williams greeting an Atlantic Sturgeon that he surgically implanted a sonic tag in 1 year and 29 days earlier.

Picture 2:  A seven-foot female Atlantic Sturgeon that was captured in the Cape Fear River on March 24, 2000.