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He welcomed the timing of the settlement, which comes as many species of critical environmental and commercial importance to the region — such as rockfish, shad, herring and white perch — begin to spawn.

The eaglets’ parents are bringing them plenty of food — usually shad, koi or catfish; and sometimes the occasional squirrel or groundhog — Greeley said.

This leaves no other choice but to impose and enforce greater harvest restrictions to prevent the iconic blue crab from collapsing, as have other mismanaged fisheries including oysters, soft clams, shad and sturgeon.

But an emerging threat becomes evident in early June as Friesen hauls up minnow traps and gillnets packed with carp, gizzard shad, green sunfish and, ominously, three smallmouth bass.

Some recipes are complex, like making wine from muscadine grapes, or stuffing shad with parsley rice and serving it with roe — a two-day effort.