Atlantic Coast River Herring Collaborative Forum

Also known as the River Herring Forum, is an information exchange venue to bring together river herring practitioners, managers, researchers, and community groups from across the species range.

New England/Mid-Atlantic

What is the River Herring Forum?

The Atlantic Coast River Herring Collaborative Forum (River Herring Forum) is an information exchange venue to bring together river herring practitioners, managers, researchers, and community groups from across the species range. This forum is co-chaired by NOAA Fisheries and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries (ASMFC) staff. The purpose of the River Herring Forum is to promote the conservation of the species, support information exchange, and encourage collaboration.

Recently, the Forum has been regularly attended by over 100 members, representing a variety of stakeholders, ranging from research institutions to municipalities and non-governmental organizations. This sustained participation demonstrates the substantial interest in river herring conservation and restoration throughout their range. Additionally, NOAA Fisheries worked with a steering committee to update the 2015 conservation plan and published the resulting 2023 River Herring Habitat Conservation Plan in the GARFO Policy Series.

When Does the River Herring Forum Meet?

The River Herring Forum meets biannually each spring and fall. For 2024, the meeting dates are:

May 20, 2024 from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET. To register, visit our event page.
November 4, 2024 from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET. To register, visit our event page.

The River Herring Forum meets virtually. This allows greater participation from across the species range. Recordings of recent meetings can be found on the ASMFC YouTube page.

Three river herring in a stream — River herring is a term for blueback herring and alewives, collectively.

Brief History of the River Herring Forum

The River Herring Forum is a renaming of the River Herring Technical Expert Working Group (TEWG) that first came together in the spring of 2014. The TEWG was a committee established by NOAA Fisheries and the ASMFC to address the data deficiencies associated with river herring and support the development of a river herring conservation plan. The river herring conservation plan was released in 2015 with the goals of increasing public awareness about river herring, stimulating cooperative research efforts, and coordinating efforts to conserve the species.

After completion of the river herring conservation plan, the TEWG remained active to support continued collaboration and information exchange. This refined focus warranted a new name to reflect the group’s continued role in supporting river herring conservation. After many alternatives were considered, we landed on the Atlantic Coast River Herring Collaborative Forum. This new name reflects the species and their range, as well as the purpose of the venue. In addition to the name change, our collaboration with ASMFC has led to changes in the meeting format and organization. Our goal for the River Herring Forum is to create a format that attracts a diverse audience interested in engaging in meaningful discussions pertaining to the future of river herring science, management, conservation, and restoration.

Learn More About River Herring