| The 2008 American shad spawning run has commenced in the Lehigh River. The first
recorded shad passed through the Easton Dam Fishway on April 12 at 12:26:33 PM. Despite the ongoing construction in
the canal area and around the fishway, the fishway itself is functioning within operational guidelines. As always,
through teamwork by staff from DCNR Delaware Canal State Park and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Fisheries Management
Area 5 (under the direction of the Fisheries Biologist 2, Mr. Daryl Pierce, the state’s newly appointed and first
Delaware River Biologist) the fishways will be maintained and monitored to give shad and other species the best possible
advantage of passage. The total passage is at least two American shad thus far, but we’ve only just begun to
review the video tape, which recorded passage from April 11th through the 14th.
Taping began on March 31. Currently, white sucker is the most prevalent specie utilizing the fishway (n=4,121),
which is typical for this time period. Sea lamprey are also just beginning their spawning journey into the Lehigh
River (n=10). Other species passing through the fishway are: bass (n=19), carp (n=13), minnows (n=7), trout (n=4),
muskellunge (n=4), and quillback (n=1). |
