South Carolina Department of Natural Resources biologists have begun tagging American shad in the Waccamaw River to determine the population's condition in Winyah Bay and the Waccamaw-Pee Dee River basin, and the agency is asking the public to help assess the population of this popular commercial fish.
   The S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is asking the public to participate in the study by returning any tags from their American shad catch. Information from this year's study will be compared to future ones that will be conducted in 2004 and perhaps 2005.
   If a tagged fish is caught, fishermen are asked to send the tag and information on where, when and how the shad was caught to the following address: Office of Fisheries Management - Finfish Management Section, DNR; Attn: Billy McCord; PO Box 12559; Charleston SC 29422. Rewards will be paid for all returned tags, provided that fishermen include a return address and other needed information. Funding for rewards is paid for by the National
Marine Fisheries Service. Returned tags will be included in a lottery drawing to determine several $50 and $100 winners.

     The reward amount for all tags not drawn in the lottery will be determined by the number of tags returned and the amount of money available in the project budget.
   "Results from several years of study should indicate the health of the shad population in the Winyah Bay watershed, and help biologists determine river-specific management recommendations as necessary," said DNR biologist Billy McCord, who is the project leader. "Our tagging study from 2000 through 2002 provided evidence that over fishing is not an issue within
the Santee River system." During that three-year time frame, DNR biologists tagged 5,763 shad, and obtained returned tags on 299 of those. This is the first year of several for tagging in the Winyah Bay area. Tagging will continue through early May.
   Each fish is tagged with a streamer or spaghetti-shaped tag that is anchored below the dorsal fin on the fish's left side. Tags are either orange or yellow, and about five inches in length. Each tag is marked with an individual tag number and the mailing address for the DNR's office.
   "When returning tags, fishermen should be specific on the location of recapture by estimating distance up or down the river in reference to a highway crossing or other known landmark," McCord said. "The date of  recapture is also important because it enables biologists to determine the rate of movement for recaptured fish."
   American shad have supported important fisheries since the European colonization of North America. In modern times shad continue to support valuable seasonal commercial and recreational fisheries. Commercial gill-net fishermen target shad during open seasons that vary by river system.
   The South Carolina commercial fishery produces nearly half a million pounds annually, with a value approaching $250,000.
   "The shad fishery is particularly important to the state's
commercial fishing community since very few other fisheries operate during the same season," McCord said. "Shad fishery income helps sustain participants and their families until other finfish and shrimp seasons begin later in the spring."
   Exhibiting a life cycle similar to salmon, American shad ascend coastal rivers along the Atlantic coast in late winter through spring to reproduce, or spawn. Most adults from southern rivers die after spawning, and their offspring return to their river of origin to spawn after spending three to six years in marine environments as far north as southern Canada.
   Recreational (hook-and-line) fisheries for American shad have
increased in popularity in recent years with most of the effort in the Tailrace Canal of the Cooper River and in the Santee River Diversion Canal. In previous years no recreational limit was in place. However, a 10 shad per day limit is in place for 2003 in all state waters, except in the Santee River where there is a 20 fish per day limit.
   Commercial seasons for shad in South Carolina open as early as
January 15 and close as late as April 30. The season for the Winyah Bay watershed opens February 1 throughout the river. The netting season closes April 15 in the lower portions of the basin, including all of Sampit River and Big Bull Creek, and all areas seaward of US 701 on Pee Dee River and down-river of County Road 179 on Black River. The netting season closes on April 30 in all waters inland of these same landmarks, including all areas
in Waccamaw River upstream or inland of the Big Bull Creek entrance. The weekly open netting period is Monday at noon through Saturday at noon throughout the Waccamaw-Pee Dee or Winyah Bay and distributaries management unit.
 

- Written by Jennie R. Davis -