Dear Sir or Madam,

I am generally an advocate of treating hickory shad as a gamefish with very limited or no take allowed.  The sporting species supports a vibrant springtime ritual of pursuit for thousands of Chesapeake Bay area fishermen, as well as forage for our larger and more valuable predator species, like striped bass, cobia, and redfish.  If a creel limit is established, I support consistency across the Commonwealth.  

Given the difficulties many anglers face in identification of shad and herring species, particularly between American Shad and Hickory Shad, I do worry that any allowable take will result in the killing of species whose low populations should be protected, like American Shad and Blueback Herring.

Conserving hickory shad will help protect against overfishing a species with an unknown population and undetermined abundance needed for a self-sustaining stock, and will undoubtedly contribute to the overall Chesapeake Bat forage base in support of tremendously valuable recreational and commercial fishing.  

Overfishing hickory shad risks depletion of the stock and jeopardizes the continued availability of a recreational fishery for the shad and predator species that feed on the shad.  Thank you for considering my input, and I do hope management efforts are successful in sustaining and increasing Hickory Shad numbers in Virginia.

Sincerely,

John Kuriawa