Georgia's Board of Natural Resources is expected to consider a proposal this week to curtail drastically commercial shad fishing through river closures and restricted fishing areas.
Shad populations along the Atlantic Coast have been declining for several years, and a federal mandate through the Atlantic Coast Fisheries Management Commission to correct the problem has forced some states to ban commercial harvesting.
The proposal will be on the DNR board's agenda when it meets Wednesday morning at the Holiday Inn Express on Bay Street in Savannah. If it's approved, it will be submitted to the South Atlantic commission for consideration.
The proposal, which would close two Georgia rivers – the St. Marys and Satilla – to all commercial shad harvesting and limit it on the Altamaha, Ogeechee and Savannah Rivers, is drawing opposition from seafood dealers and fishermen.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Savannah Now (Georgia).