Fish Happenings Priority

There are now alewives in most pools in the fish ladder making their way to the top.  We anticipate that harvesting will begin on Monday morning at 5am.

A very happy Mother’s Day to all mothers! What a great day to visit the fish ladder (It’s a Mother’s Day tradition after all!). There are alewives to see and lots of bird activity—osprey diving for fish to feed their young, eagles, cormorants…. And there are volunteers at the fish house selling fish ladder swag […]

There will be volunteers at the fish house this weekend selling fish ladder t-shirts, sweatshirts, and other fish ladder gear to support ongoing work at the fish ladder and associated facilities. Mother’s Day is a traditional day to visit and, even though it’s early this year, it looks like at least a few alewives will […]

The big schools of alewives haven’t come in yet. That said, if the weather continues to be sunny and moderately warm, we should see lots of fish soon! We have seen a few alewives, both in the ladder and in the talons of osprey so there is a chance if you stop by for a […]

The first alewives are in and they’re moving fast from pool to pool, headed to Damariscotta Lake to spawn! We call these earliest alewives the scouts because there aren’t many and they move up rapidly. It’s always exciting to see the first fish!

There are reports of alewives in the Penobscot River, at Nequasset (Woolwich) and on the Eastern River, an offshoot of the Kennebec. Most important for us, lobstermen with sonar have spotted big schools of alewives close to shore and heading to river mouths! Osprey and eagles are looking hard—they expect to see alewives soon too! […]

Join us as we look for the first alewives this weekend! And when you stop by, there will be new fish ladder gear for sale at the fish house from 10am –  4pm. This year’s t-shirt design was created by artist John Whalley and it’s a beauty! It’s time to see the first alewives, the […]

The osprey have returned— they’re scouting the bay for alewives as they add sticks to their nests. Eagles are watching and seals will be arriving soon. So many of us, wildlife and humans alike, are waiting for alewives. The cold, wet weather isn’t helping to bring them closer though. A few alewives have been spotted […]

It’s been a long cold winter but early spring is here and that means it’s almost time for the alewives to arrive in Damariscotta Mills! Water in now running through the fish ladder pools, the netting to keep gulls from grabbing fish in pools is on, and each pool has been checked for winter damage. […]

We had more alewives in for the past few days but the rain has effectively brought an end to this year’s run. What a strange year….a year with too much rain!