Bangor Daily News editorial It’s time alewives were allowed into the upper reaches of the St. Croix River. Research, in addition to dozens of ponds and streams in Maine, show that alewives can coexist with smallmouth bass. Until there is solid scientific evidence that bass populations will diminish with an influx of alewives north of Read More
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Passamaquoddy Tribe United in Support of Restoring St. Croix Alewife Run
The Passamaquoddy tribe is now united in its support of restoring the St. Croix alewife run. The three Passamaquoddy chiefs from Pleasant Point and Indian Township in Maine and the Passamaquoddy tribe in Canada signed a declaration of emergency yesterday and called on the Maine Legislature or the International Joint Commission to restore alewife passage Read More
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 Read More
Alewives Spark Legal Debate
By Nick Bennett, NRCM Staff Scientist Maine Lobsterman’s Association newsletter August 2011 guest column More than two years ago, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association joined the Natural Resources Council of Maine, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, Maine Rivers and nearly 50 other conservation, sporting, and commercial fishing groups in petitioning the International Joint Commission (IJC) to reopen Read More
Creature Feature: Alewife
The adult alewife is a sea-run fish about 12 inches long. Each spring, alewives leave the ocean, enter Maine’s coastal rivers, and make their way upstream to spawning habitat in lakes and ponds. Alewives are river herring, a term that also includes their close relatives the blueback herring and American shad.
Alewives vs. Culvert Bremen, Maine
Poorly sited and under-sized culverts cause problems for fish and other aquatic creatures all around the state of Maine. Culverts are common in Maine and are used to channel streams under roads at thousands of places throughout the state where roads cross streams. As many as 90% of these prevent fish from moving upstream, something Read More
Ten Years After Dam Removal Kennebec River Fish are Jumping Back
by Susan Sharon Maine Public Radio news story For centuries, dams that harnessed water power fueled factories around the Northeast. But the walled barriers prevented migrating fish from reaching their native spawning grounds. Water quality and entire ecosystems changed. Think about a dam on a river you know. Imagine what would happen if that structure Read More
Groups Call For Action to Open St. Croix River to Alewives
50 U.S. and Canadian Groups Petition International Body News Release McAdam, New Brunswick, Canada—Fifty organizations from the United States and Canada have called upon the International Joint Commission (IJC) to require that the St. Croix River be opened up for passage of alewives (river herring). The lead groups in this effort are the Atlantic Salmon Read More
Millions of Fish Return to Maine River
The Kennebec River has been surging with life this spring as millions of alewives (river herring) travel inland from the sea to reach spawning habitat that was inaccessible before two key dams were removed in 1999 and 2008. Osprey and Bald Eagles have been well fed, and the entire river ecosystem has benefited, as a Read More












