Restoration of American Shad to the Brandywine River
Date
2015-12
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Abstract
This letter report updates the 2005 American shad restoration along the Brandywine River report prepared by the Brandywine Conservancy.
American shad {Alosa sapidisimmd) were once an abundant migratory fish found throughout East Coast rivers and streams of North America, including the Brandywine River in Delaware and Pennsylvania. Shad were an important part of Native American and early colonial diets, and later, were the basis of an important commercial fishery in larger rivers like the Susquehanna and Delaware. Spring runs of shad comprised a unique and dramatic natural phenomenon, now a lost part o f our cultural heritage.
Shad restoration efforts are underway in numerous rivers and streams along the East Coast. A 1985 study titled A Review and Recommendations Relating to Fishways Within the Delaware Basin
commissioned by the Delaware Basin Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative identified three tributaries historically used by shad for spawning which had “the greatest potential for restoration of the
American shad.” These include the Lehigh, the Schuylkill, and the Brandywine Rivers. The following is a report on the current state of dams along the Brandywine River. Restoring shad to the Brandywine River has important economic, ecological, and cultural benefits for the Brandywine Valley region generally and the Wilmington area specifically.