American Shad Return After 300 Years

March 1, 2021 By: Spencer Durrant

This is a really interesting story from Tom Keer over in Field & Stream. He details the removal of dams on Delaware’s Brandywine Creek, which dumps into the Atlantic Ocean. 300 years ago, the creek was dammed to control seasonal flooding. These dams prevented the native fish – American Shad, stiped bass, and other gamefish – from entering Brandywine Creek to spawn.

Thanks to dam removal projects, though, American Shad are now swimming in waters they’ve been locked out of for 300 years. These types of stories are the ones we need to hear the most, I think, because they give us hope for the future.

Read Keer’s full write up here.