October 23, 2013 — Both Massachusetts and Rhode Island have spent considerable time and taxpayer money restoring thousands of river miles. This restoration work is important on many levels, but none of the benefits are likely more important than allowing anadromous fish, such as river herring, to again make their way up southern New England’s coastal rivers to spawn.
Many of the inland routes taken by these migratory fish were cut off by dams and other impediments during the Industrial Revolution. Prior to the emergence of large-scale manufacturing, a river herring run existed in almost every coastal town in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Today, some historically important spawning grounds have been out of reach for as long as two centuries.
Progress, however, is slowly being made to undam rivers, build fish ladders, and clean rivers, streams and brooks in both states. This recent work, being done by public/private collaboratives, is already having a profound effect on many ecosystems. The Hopewell Mills dam in Taunton, Mass., was removed last year and already sea-run fish such as river herring are returning to the Mill River watershed.
This past spring the first river herring in nearly 200 years was spotted upstream of the former Hopewell Mills dam site. Sea-run fish play a major role in the ecology of Narragansett Bay, and restoring the connections between these saltwater and freshwater ecosystems will bring benefits throughout the region, according to Alison Bowden, director of freshwater conservation for The Nature Conservancy.
Whittenton Dam, just downstream from the Hopewell Mills dam site, was removed three months ago. These efforts to restore fish passage on the Mill River, a major Taunton River tributary, will continue to improve water quality, protect habitat health and make the entire ecosystem more resilient. This work also will enhance recreational and commercial fishing, both inland and at sea.
Read the full story at ecoRI News