Ten years have passed since a harvest moratorium for river herring was put in place in North Carolina’s waters, and anglers are asking questions. “What’s the status of the river herring population in North Carolina?” “Can we fish for river herring now?” “Can we use herring for bait again?” “What are the criteria for relaxing the harvest moratorium on river herring?”

Answers to these questions and more about alewife and blueback herring — collectively called “river herring” — can be found in a new fact sheet about river herring developed by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.