NRCM Blog

Returning to Sea - by David Wilkins

Editor’s Note: Alewives are river herring, a term that also includes their close relatives the blueback herring and American shad. Alewives spend most of their life at sea. In early to mid-May, alewives leave the ocean, enter Maine's coastal rivers, and make their way upstream to spawning habitat in lakes and ponds, sometimes traveling more than 100 miles. In the summer and fall, the juveniles head back out to sea. Alewives are an important food source for bass, tuna, cod, haddock, halibut, rainbow trout, Bald Eagles, Osprey, otter, and many other wildlife. Historically, millions of alewives made their arrival, but by the twentieth century, fishing, dams, and pollution had taken their toll on sea-run fish, including alewives. Restoring populations of alewives and other herring may help other species in coastal ecosystems and are an important for the fisheries in the Gulf of Maine. NRCM has led efforts in key victories for sea-run fish, including alewives, including in the Kennebec River, where our work resulted in removal of the Edwards Dam in Augusta in 1999. This past spring, 2.8 million returned to the river. But alewife runs still face challenges in other Maine rivers and streams. Find out more about what NRCM is doing to help Maine’s watersheds and the wildlife that depend upon them.

I’ve often wondered if the alewife’s defense may be their numbers and speed. The surviving offspring of these fish will stay together for their entire lives and may be joined by schools of other alewives and other species during their sojourn at sea. It is expected or hoped that as many as one percent of these fish will return to spawn in 2015.

The future for alewife is not a certainty and should not be assumed. Three principle problems plague these incredible fish. Access to spawning grounds, pollution or degraded water quality, and overfishing (primarily as by-catch in the offshore herring/mackerel fishery), are responsible for steep declines in their numbers in the last 20 or so years.

The run in Muscongus Brook and into Webber Pond was extirpated by 1970 or so as a result of the installation of a road culvert. Spawning adults could no longer gain entry into, nor pass through the length of this unnatural structure to reach the lake. The simple installation of a road culvert sadly ended this population, after having reproduced here for more than 10,000 years. 

The remains of mill dams also create spawning access problems here, although much stone removal work has been done in the last 10 years. Our Muscongus Brook alewife population continues today with the seasonal installation of a fish ladder at the culvert, and state stocking of spawning adults in the pond. We began stocking the pond in 2003, and returning adults arrived in June of 2007. They have continued each year since. Returning rates vary from about 2,000 to 5,000 fish each year. Given time and culvert removal, a restored Webber Pond may see 100,000 fish in the run.

Watch an 18-second video of the alewives swimming out to sea.

At high tide tonight I watched thousands of young alewife pour from the tea-colored fresh water into green salty Muscongus Harbor. A school had formed as far as I could see out toward the bay. This was their first taste of salt water, as they are an ocean fish, born from fresh water. This is in itself amazing. A loon dressed in its new winter plumage dove in the distance. A Herring Gull, waiting for my departure, watched me from a rock. Like seemingly endless sand in an hourglass, these small fish drained into the sea, oblivious to the gauntlet ahead. I try to remind myself that those that return will be survivors and the most fit to pass on their genes. I told myself that these special fish are here to feed everything, for the good of all wildlife. However, these thoughts did not quite feel like consolation enough to this worried parent watching them head out to sea.

David Wilkins is a sailor, boat builder, and naturalist living in Bremen, Maine. He studied wildlife biology at University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Fly-fishing, fish watching, and bird watching are some of his pastimes. Early exposure to declining commercial fisheries has led David to become a staunch fisheries conservationist today.

For more about the alewife, read our Creature Feature.

Watch NRCM’s short video about the alewife run on the Sebasticook River (a tributary of the Kennebec).

Watch our short video celebrating the 10th anniversary of removal of the Edwards Dam.

All photographs in this post by and courtesy of David Wilkins. They may not be used without his permission.

Maine People and the Environment: Report from the Roundtable

More than 500 citizens from across the state poured into the Augusta Civic Center on January 20th to participate in the first public meeting with Governor LePage about the importance of environmental protection to Maine's economic and public health. A panel of 28 businesses, sportsmen, health professionals, religious leaders, and youth discussed how the laws that have cleaned up once heavily polluted rivers, have kept Maine's woods and fish stocks intact, have kept our landscapes protected and relatively pristine, and have cleaned up our air - and saved us money -- by conserving energy, are necessary and welcome to those who have chosen to set up businesses in Maine, have worked the land for generations, or visit here to enjoy our quality of life.

NRCM is proud to have sponsored this event with numerous partner organizations and to have seen so many members from the NRCM family across the state in attendance. We have shown once again that the people of Maine are deeply committed to environmental protections and are willing to stand up and fight for them. Please see the extensive news coverage here: http://www.nrcm.org/news.asp

We will soon be posting the remarks of the panelists, as well as video of the event, but today's snow slowed us down a bit. Check our website next week (www.nrcm.org) for more from the Roundtable.

Here are some of the remarks from the panelists, who we thank so much for participating in this event:

William Bennett, Pres. & CEO, of Oakhurst: "After all the cows that produce Oakhurst milk literally eat drink and breathe the Maine environment so it's in everyone's best interest to keep Maine's environment clean, safe and healthy."

Unity College student Deirdre Birbeck also had a chance to speak directly to the Governor. "It seems to me that my generation's future jobs will depend on careful stewarding of our natural resources."
 
“If our coastal waters are not clean, it is impossible for all commercial fishermen, not just clammers, to market the Maine brand,” said Chad Coffin, president of the Maine Clammers Association.

“Regulations aren’t perfect, and some may need fixing,” said Harry Dwyer, a licensed forester and logger who owns Ghost Dance Forestry in Fayette. “But regulations are not the enemy. They are an important tool” to protect resources for future generations.

Horace “Hoddy” Hildreth, a former Republican state senator who is chairman of Diversified Communications, a company with 200 employees, said many of the laws protecting Maine’s air, land and water were enacted by Republican-controlled legislatures responding to the industrial abuses of the 1960s and 1970s.

“Their implementation has from time to time caused frustration and even outrage,” Hildreth said. “But I submit to you that working on the regulations to make sure they are responsive to the plain intent of the statutes is a better way to go than gutting or repealing the laws.”

Corky Ellis, founder and Chairman of Kepware, a software company in Portland, says they could have moved to North Carolina or Texas with lower taxes and minimal environmental regulations, but they wanted to live in Maine. "Please bear in mind that many businesses like ours are here in Maine precisely because of the protected beauty and the conservation efforts of the past."

And MPBN's news story quoted Ernie Hilton, former chair of the Maine Board of Environmental Protection (read and listen to the full MPBN news story here):

Ernie Hilton is a lifelong Republican, an attorney and civil engineer from Madison who previously chaired Maine's Board of Environmental Protection, and whose wife chairs the Land Use Regulation Commission, or LURC.

Hilton says he's worried Maine's quality of place may be threatened as the new administration and Legislature look to relax environmental permitting and reuglations and do away with agencies such as LURC, which governs zoning and planning in Maine's North Woods.

"I'm concerned when I see, as I did yesterday, a list of some of the statutes which are pending before the Legislature dealing with shoreland zoning and with LURC, and it strikes me as being a race to the bottom approach to our environment," Hilton said.

Hilton says it's not environmental rules or regulations that are the biggest impediments to job creation in Maine but rather the high cost of health care. He points out that over the last eight years more than 10,000 permits by rule were issued for small projects, and $5 billion dollars worth of major projects permitted by the Department of Environmental Protection alone.

 
 

Dam Good News!

Wow! After ten years of hard work, restoration of the Penobscot River is one BIG step closer today as the Penobscot River Restoration Trust now owns three Penobscot River dams that have blocked the migration of 11 species of sea-run fish for generations.

By removing the two dams closest to the sea and building a fish bypass around a third dam, the project will help migratory fish including Atlantic salmon, alewives, shad and sturgeon to reach 1,000 miles of habitat that they need to thrive.

The kicker? When the project is complete, renewable energy generation will be the same as before the project or even increase. How’s that for a win-win? 

This project would not have been possible without an historic agreement among PPL, the Penobscot Indian Nation, federal and state agencies, and NRCM and six other conservation groups.  

The benefits of working together have been huge:

The project will revive native fisheries and create new economic and recreational opportunities for communities along the river.

As fish populations surge and natural river habitats rebound, the river will provide additional habitat for songbirds, raptors, waterfowl, and other species, from river otters to stoneflies.

There will be new recreational fishing and paddling opportunities along the Penobscot while growing populations of migrating fish will provide greater feeding opportunities for commercial marine fish such as cod, tuna and bluefish.

And the Penobscot Indian Nation will be better able to obtain sustenance and cultural identity from the river that bears their name.

All in a day’s work here at NRCM…kinda makes you proud.

- Judy Berk, NRCM Communications Director

Another reason to celebrate: 10 years of a free-flowing Kennebec

I just attended my 20th high school reunion this past weekend.  20 years ago, I was graduating from high school. That is hard to believe.  What is harder to believe is that that was around the time that NRCM and its partners in the Kennebec Coalition started the decade of hard work to remove the Edwards Dam on the Kennebec River in Augusta. 

And ten years ago tomorrow - on July 1, 1999 - I was sitting on the edge of the Kennebec River, along with hundreds of others as the first murky water flowed freely through the site of the Edwards Dam for the first time in more than 150 years. 

I was a fairly new NRCM staff member at the time, and was still processing the excitement of having met Bonnie Raitt at Merrill Auditorium the night before.  She had done a benefit concert for us in celebration of the dam's removal - it was incredible!  And then, to get up early the next morning and head over to the other side of the Kennebec to sit and wait for the big event was almost more than I could bear.  I was SO excited.  I found a spot early and sat there for most of the day, looking through binoculars to see if I would have a good view of the spot where the first water would come rushing through. 

I remember listening to all of the speeches by Brownie, Governor King, and others that day - and then hearing them ring the bell, signaling that it was time (finally!) for the dam to come out.  St. Augustine Church rang its bells as well that day, in celebration of this historic event. 

And then, to see the water come rushing through the first hole dug out of the dam, and hearing everyone cheer and clap...it is a moment in time that I will never forget. 

Were you there that day?  What do you remember?  Please share photos and stories with us as we celebrate 10 years of a free-flowing Kennebec River.  And, if you can - join us on July 18 as we paddle this stretch of river from Sidney to Augusta in celebration of the rebirth of the Kennebec River! Learn more here.

Happy Anniversary! Watch video of the 10th anniversary celebration at http://www.nrcm.typepad.com/nrcminsider/

-Beth

Using our muscles to move mussels on the Sebasticook

NRCM staff and members have had the opportunity to work with others to help relocate mussels in the Sebasticook River over the past two weeks.  Many of those who volunteered wanted to share their experiences with others and have done so below.  We hope that if you volunteered on this project as well that you will let us know about your experience "using your muscles to move mussels." 

Michelle (NRCM summer intern): Mussel moving was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that combined environmental stewardship and a fun day at the river.  Overall, the experience was great, and I learned a lot about mussels that I absolutely never would have otherwise.

Molly (NRCM summer intern): It was really amazing that within a half hour, we were all experts at mussel identification and were able to get a lot done. The whole day was a perfect example of community members coming together to be responsible stewards for their environment, and we had a great time doing it!

Windy (NRCM receptionist) I truly felt honored to be part of this historical moment in our beautiful state. The removal of this dam has been a long time coming. We all learned a great deal about mussels and the process of identifying, safely transporting, and replanting them in the river bed. This was my first chance to actively take part in such a worthy cause, and I’m sure it won’t be my last.


Leisa (NRCM advocacy assistant): Up to this point I have done very little volunteering.  This has mostly been due to making time in my busy schedule in a typical hectic life.  Having 2 kids, a husband, 1 full-time job, 1 part-time job and many pets, it is often hard to find time to get anything else in.  This has been very disappointing. 

Just yesterday I decided I was going to try and volunteer.  I have decided to try new things and experience life like I haven’t in the past.  I wonder, like many I am sure, if I could do what was being asked?  How hard would it be? Would I just get in the way or truly be a "great volunteer."   

I answered all those questions when I finally stepped up to the plate and volunteered to help relocate mussels in the Sebasticook River this past Tuesday...

Update on alewives bill

Here is an article from today's Bangor Daily News that explains the latest on the St. Croix alewives bill:

Compromise Would Allow Alewives Up to Grand Falls
Tuesday March 18th, 2008, by Kevin Miller

AUGUSTA - A legislative committee has reached a tentative compromise that would allow alewives in the St. Croix River up to the Grand Falls dam this year.

A majority of members of the Legislature’s Marine Resources Committee have voted once in support of a bill that would reopen the Woodland dam to alewives, also known as river herring, for the first time since 1995. The committee is expected to revisit the vote this Wednesday.

The original version of LD 1957 would have allowed sea-run alewives to swim above both the Woodland and Grand Falls dams in the St. Croix. But that bill, like similar proposals in past years, encountered stiff opposition from registered guides and others who fear the sea-run alewives will destroy the prized smallmouth bass and landlocked salmon fisheries in the area.

Under the amended version, the Department of Marine Resources and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife would work together to develop a river herring management plan before any alewives would be allowed beyond Grand Falls.

The two departments would consult with the leadership of the Passamaquoddy Tribe when developing the plan. An earlier proposal would have given Passamaquoddy leaders, who have lobbied against upriver passage of alewives, an equal role in development of a management plan.

The presence — or lack thereof — of alewives in the St. Croix has been an inflammatory issue during the past 15 years.