The Fish and Boat Commission will hold a shad stocking event and fish fry on June 11 on Bald Eagle Creek near Lock Haven in Clinton County starting at 1:00 and on June 20 on the Schuylkill River in Reading.

American shad (Alosa sapidissima) were once the most important freshwater commercial and sport fish in the eastern U.S. and it is estimated that once the large game fish is fully restored and self-sustaining in the West Branch Susquehanna River, activities related to the their annual spring migration could generate an estimated $50 million a year.

Regionally these annual release events have stocked over 6,836,050 fry including the 1.6 million fry released in Williamsport last week. In Clinton County, 986,000 shad fry have been released in the last four years. The long-term goal, for the Susquehanna River Basin restoration plan, is for two million adult American shad returning to spawn by 2025.

Highlighting the local June 11 shad fry stocking event, Fish and Boat Commission Fisheries biologists will present an on-site informative short program on American shad history, life cycle, and current and future restoration efforts on the West Branch Susquehanna River.

At the closing of the presentation adventurous adults and youth will have an historical opportunity to step into the Bald Eagle Creek to lend a hand in releasing 125,000 shad fry.

This hour long American shad release event will begin at 1 p.m. at the Castanea Township. Bald Eagle Creek boat access park. From Lock Haven travel south on Paul Mack Blvd., turn right onto Upper Creek Road and a second right into the park.

The June 20 event, which begins at noon at Kerper’s Landing on the Schuylkill River along Riverfront Drive in Reading, will also feature a question and answer session by Fish and Boat Commission biologists on shad behavior and agency plans for a restored shad fishery.

For more information on the June 11 event contact the Elisabeth L. Lynch at 570-893-4123 or send email to: elynch@clintoncountypa.com. For more information on the June 20 contact Chari Towne, Delaware Riverkeeper Network at 215-369-1188 ext. 109 or send email to: chari@delawareriverkeeper.org .

6/6/2008