Topics Related to Fisheries
In 2024-2025, Shad in the Classroom will involve 2,500 students from 31 classes, with over 300 students coming from Title I schools. Around 1,000 of these students will release the fry into the Neuse River and all will learn directly from experts about the immense value of the American Shad.
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, is that how it goes?” chuckles Jimmy Johnson, the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership’s (APNEP’s) Coastal Habitats Coordinator.
In contrast to livestock or agricultural crops, North Carolina’s coastal fish, shellfish, and crustaceans are considered public trust resources, meaning that they belong to all the people of the state. To ensure that these resources will continue to provide jobs and delicious seafood far into the future, a balance must be struck between harvesting by commercial and recreational fishermen and protections that allow these species to grow into adulthood and reproduce – no easy feat in a system as complicated as our estuaries and coasts.