This project took place on the Jam Black Brook and the St. George River in Searsmont, Maine.  How many similarities and connections can you make with their culvert issue, restoring fish passage, the value of a healthy ecosystem and our alewife project??

The flurry of recent excitement and activity all started with three little fish sighted within the culvert on Wednesday, May 25th, late in the afternoon after the school day ended.  We saw about 15-30 more alewives that Friday morning as school began and before the afternoon was out, a community member had installed a fish ladder!  Students were so excited to see fish returning and seeing the fish themselves!  The community was buzzing at the parking lot with lobstermen stopping by or pulling over while we spied quietly on the fish in the culvert.

On June 1st, after waiting to see if fish could move up into the marsh through the fish ladder, “on their own”, we discovered about 15 fish resting in the culvert at mid-day.  Knowing the water levels were now too low for passage over the dam, even on the high tide, students hatched a plan to net and carry the alewives into the marsh themselves with permission from our Conservation Commission DMR permit holder.  The following videos are the students seeing “our own” alewives for the first time (a 30+ year absence from our marsh), and then our rescue mission to move then into the waters of the marsh to breed.

“First Sight”

“First Carry”

“Second Carry”