There are no more alewives coming in to head up the fish ladder to spawn but there are still plenty of alewives to see. The run-backs, alewives that have spawned, are heading back to sea. Many use the fish ladder to return while others come back via the Middle Stream. Gulls are there to meet […]
It is really late in the season for alewives to be moving upstream but they’re still coming in and moving up—not as many as the big schools of a few days ago but there are still plenty of alewives to see…and to count! Alewives that moved up earlier in the season are now coming back […]
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 […]
The fish ladder is again full to brimming with alewives this morning! Despite their late arrival, it sure is wonderful to see huge clouds of alewives in Great Salt Bay, streaming under the Rt 215 bridge, by the fish house and check office, and all the way up the fish ladders 69 pools and into […]
A huge school of alewives came in last evening and this morning! It’s truly a confusing year——the run was very slow during the month of May and, right toward the end of the month, blueback herring came in and spawned in the entry pools of the fish ladder and along the riprap between the check […]
Due to a strong showing of blueback herring (check out the eggs covering the bottom of the lower fish ladder) and fewer than normal alewives, the harvest is over for the year. There just aren’t enough fish of either variety to harvest.
We haven’t had nearly as many alewives this year as in past years. Many other alewife runs in Maine have also had fewer fish than usual. Additionally, for the past few days we’ve noticed that fish are spawning in the water by the check office and in the lower fish ladder. This is also very […]
Come visit anytime—-there are plenty of alewives leaping pool to pool as they ascend the fish ladder to spawn in Damariscotta Lake. It’s a strange year because the fish are coming in slowly, school after school, but not yet in the vast numbers that are typical for this time in the run. In most years, […]
Fish Ladder Goods and Gear….and Alewife Ice Cream, will be on sale at the fish house on both Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm. Run with the Alewives, our annual 5K race, will take place at 9am Saturday morning. There’s still time to sign up! And, the Adam Ezra Concert will take place on […]
It’s that wonderful time of year when alewives are coming in, school after school! We are harvesting alewives Monday through Friday at 5am and 3pm. For information about the harvest, call Mark Becker at 207-380-7996. To view alewives, come on down—the fish ladder is open every day!