The Fish Ladder is Open!

April 3.  With the pulling of boards at the top of the fish ladder, at 9am this morning water rushed from pool to pool, eventually filling all 69 pools in the Damariscotta Mills fish ladder. The water was “turned off” in the fish ladder last fall to keep the winter processes of freezing and thawing from causing damage to mortar and stone structure. The water was “turned on” this morning in readiness for the coming of fish, first smelts, which spawn in the tidal waters of the lower ladder and later alewives. It’s always exciting to see, and to hear, the water flowing though the stone pools each each spring! It won’t be long now before alewives arrive to “climb” the fish ladder to reach their spawning grounds in and around Damariscotta Lake!!