Special to TCI
Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River notes a timeless rite of spring, the spawning run of American shad.
An ancient and impressive wildlife migration is occurring in our midst. The spring spawning run of American shad in the Delaware River is a timeless rite of spring that has taken place here for the past 10,000 years.
Determined fish are now swimming 330 miles or more upriver from the ocean, on this last major river on the Atlantic Coast undammed the entire length of its main stem. Some of these 3 to 6-year-old fish have travelled over 12,000-miles at sea during their ocean odyssey, wintering off the Carolinas and venturing north on annual summer feeding forays to the Gulf of Maine and the Bay of Fundy. Most are now completing their final journey.