ALBANY — The state Department of Environmental Conservation has banned commercial and recreational shad fishing on the Hudson River and limited shad fishing on the Delaware River.

The department said the ban, enacted Wednesday, is part of an effort to restore the population of American shad in New York's waters.

The sale of American shad caught in the state also is prohibited under the ban.

"Unfortunately, the Hudson River shad stock has declined dramatically for more than a decade, and even restrictions enacted in 2008 have not triggered a rebound," state Environmental Commissioner Pete Grannis said in a prepared statement. "As a result ... (the ban) is the best way to try to prevent this historically important species from permanently vanishing from the Hudson River ecosystem. It's not a step we take lightly, and we will continue to work on a process for reopening the fishery if and when the shad population recovers to sustainable levels."

On the Delaware River, the daily creel limit for recreational shad fishermen has been reduced from six to three, and commercial shad fishing has been banned.

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