It’s June….and what happens next?

Usually by June 7, the run is winding down. But this year small schools of alewives started coming in well into May and it looked like we’d have the lowest counts of alewives reaching Damariscotta Lake to spawn since the restoration began. But, a few days ago the first really big school of alewives came in and more came in the following night. We’re still getting alewives in but….rain always slows them down. Will more big schools come in once the weather clears, the sun comes out, and temperatures rise? Hard to say! For now, the fish ladder is full of alewives, many going up but now we have lots of run-backs joining them. Run-backs have spawned and are heading back to sea. We’ll be watching closely for the next few days to see what happens. Don’t miss a post in this complicated year for alewives!