Otsego Lake (42o 41’N-70o’W) is the headwaters of the glacially-created Susquehanna River valley within the northern Appalachian Plateau. Historically considered oligo-mesotrophic, (Harman et al., 1997) the unauthorized introduction of alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) in 1986 (Foster 1989) affected the lake, creating changes similar to those of eutrophy (Harman et al. 2002). Efficient planktivor...

Anadromous blueback herring Alosa aestivalis are declining throughout much of their range, and fishery closures in some systems have failed to produce population recovery. A potential contributing factor is increased predation pressure from sympatric striped bass Morone saxatilis. We integrated data on the predator–prey interaction between striped bass and blueback herring during vernal migrati...

Several nature-like fishway designs have been constructed in the northeastern US, but none of these fishways have been quantitatively evaluated for passage of northeastern diadromous species. This report summarizes data on passage performance from two studies of nature-like fishway designs for passage of river herring in the field (Town Brook, Plymouth, Massachusetts, and East River, Guilford, ...

Geochemical signatures in the otoliths of diadromous fishes may allow for retrospective analyses of natal origins. In an assessment of river-specific signatures in American shad (Alosa sapidissima), an anadromous clupeid native to the Atlantic coast of North America, stable isotope and elemental ratios in otoliths of juvenile American shad produced accurate natal tags from 12 rivers. Significan...

Juvenile American shad Alosa sapidissima were subjected to isothermal transfers into sea water (salinity 24) ‘early’ (1 September; 24 C) and ‘late’ (10 November; 10 C) in the autumn migratory season. Early acclimation resulted in a modest osmotic perturbation that recovered rapidly. Haematocrit declined by 14% at 24 h, recovering within 48 h. Plasma osmolality increased by 6% at 4 h, recovering...

Anadromous alewives, Alosa pseudoharengus, have experienced significant population level declines caused by factors including habitat destruction. Alewives occur in two different life histories, anadromous and landlocked forms. The landlocked alewife evolved from ancestral anadromous populations, resulting in an exclusively freshwater and phenotypically unique form. The occurrence of parasites ...

Over the past five decades, a reproductive failure related to thiamine deficiency, referred to as thiamine deficiency complex (TDC), has been observed in valuable salmonine fishes in the Great Lakes and Finger Lakes in North America and the Baltic Sea in Europe. The cause of TDC has been linked to the consumption of clupeid fish, which contain high levels of a thiamine-destroying enzyme called ...