Rhode Island's river herring run is coming soon, and this year, the fish will carry crucial information on how the state's fish ladders are working.

Herring fishing is banned completely in the other 10 states, including Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, which voluntarily ended herring fishing before the 2009 federal order.

In addition to the fish, themselves, herring roe was considered a delicacy favored by many. "Have You Tried It?", a 1909 advertisement for the product from the Middleboro Fish Market asked.

Efforts to decolonize the herring roe harvest in Alaska highlight the contrast between tribal subsistence practices and the Department of Fish and Game’s management strategy.