Management of hickory shad should be consistent across Virginia. The DWR 10 per day hickory shad limit for Virginia rivers outside the Chesapeake Bay watershed is a reasonable model for beginning management of the Chesapeake Bay and tributary hickory shad spawning runs in Virginia. All recreational fishing harvest pressure on hickory shad in Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries is in Virginia because of a moratorium on recreational takes of hickory shad in Maryland and DC waters. Weak James and York River hickory shad spawning runs in recent years has focused fishing pressure for takes onto the Rappahannock and Occoquan River hickory shad spawning runs. Unrestricted takes during the spawning runs reduces the potential for successful spawns, risks species depletion below self-sustaining thresholds, and jeopardizes the continued availability of a recreational fishery. Therefore, fisheries management oversight is needed for species conservation, and I support establishing a reasonable creel limit.