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DMR Home > About DMR > Sea-Run Fish > Programs & Projects > Kennebec R. Restoration

Kennebec River Diadromous Fish Restoration Project

Purpose

The goal of the Kennebec River Diadromous Fish Restoration Project is to restore Maine’s native diadromous1 fishes to their historic range and abundance in the watershed. These species include the alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), American shad (Alosa sapidissima), blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis), Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhinchus oxyrhinchus), shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum), rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), striped bass (Morone saxatilis), Atlantic tomcod (Microgadus tomcod), sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), and American eel (Anguilla rostrata).

Construction of Edwards Dam in 1837-1838 at the head-of-tide in Augusta coupled with overfishing and declining water quality caused dramatic declines in the abundance of these fishes in the watershed beginning in the mid-1800s.

History

The Restoration Project was initiated in 1986 when the Maine Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) signed a settlement agreement with the Kennebec Hydro-Developers Group (KHDG), the owners of seven hydropower projects located upstream of Edwards Dam. The settlement agreement provided MDMR with funds to stock alewife and American shad into upstream spawning and nursery habitat in order to reestablish populations imprinted to the watershed. A second settlement agreement signed in 1998 by state and federal fisheries resource agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the KHDG resulted in the removal of Edwards Dam to provide fish passage for all diadromous species, instituted schedules or triggers for fish passage at the seven KHDG dams, and provided additional funding for the stocking program. Removal of Edwards dam restored full access to historical spawning habitat for species like Atlantic sturgeon, shortnose sturgeon, and rainbow smelt, but not for species like alewife, American shad and Atlantic salmon that migrated much further up the river.

Map

Select this link for a larger map of the lower Kennebec River watershed, with links to more information about some of the dams and fishways.

 map of kennebec watershed

Fish Passage

Fish passage became operational at three KHDG dams: Lockwood, the first dam on the Kennebec, and Benton Falls and Burnham, the second and third dams on the Sebasticook, respectively (see map). Fort Halifax, the first dam on the Sebasticook, has been decommissioned and fish passage (via dam breach) may occur in 2008. These exciting events represent a significant step in the progress of restoration. Approximately 90% of the alewives passed over the Fort Halifax dam will be able to free-swim to their natal spawning habitat in the Sebasticook drainage. Wild American shad, blueback herring, alewife, and Atlantic salmon will be collected at Lockwood, and released into upstream waters.

To celebrate these events, MDMR is posting weekly totals of fish passed at the Lockwood, Fort Halifax, Benton Falls, and Burnham dams. In addition, MDMR in cooperation with the Sebasticook River Watershed Association and Nokomis High School is assessing fish passage at four nonhydropower dams on the Sebasticook River (Map: Pleasant Pond fishway, Sebasticook Lake fishway, Guilford Dam removal, and Plymouth Pond fishway).

Numbers of fish passed or trapped in 2009
Week of Totals Aug 16-22 Aug 23-29 Aug 30-Sept 5 Sept 6-12
Lockwood          
River Herring 45,754 0 0 0 0
Shad 0 0 0 0 0
Atlantic Salmon 24 0 0 0 0
Landlocked Salmon 404 0 0 0 0
Brown Trout 20 0 0 0 0
Rainbow Trout 3 0 0 0 0
Brook Trout 10 0 0 0 0
Lake Trout 1 0 0 0 0
Splake 1 0 0 0 0
White Sucker 62 0 0 0 0
Smallmouth Bass 98 0 0 4 1
Largemouth Bass 6 0 0 0 0
Striped Bass 10 0 0 0 0
Redbreast Sunfish 102 0 0 4 0
Pumpkinseed Sunfish 9 0 0 0 0
Yellow Perch 90 0 0 0 0
White Perch 5 0 0 0 0
Black Crappie 5 0 0 0 0
Fallfish 6 0 0 1 0
American Eel 47 0 0 0 0
Sea Lamprey 9 0 0 0 0
Golden Shiner 3 0 0 0 0
Common Shiner 0 0 0 0 0
Northern Pike 1 0 0 0 0
Brown Bulhead 0 0 0 0 0
White Catfish 5 0 0 0 0
Creek Chub 1 0 0 0 0
Benton Falls          
River Herring 1,327,915        
Shad 8        
Atlantic Salmon 4        
Landlocked Salmon 15        
Brown Trout 2        
Rainbow Trout 0        
Brook Trout 8        
Lake Trout 0        
Splake 0        
White Sucker 112        
Smallmouth Bass 493        
Largemouth Bass 3        
Striped Bass 0        
Redbreast Sunfish 52        
Pumpkinseed Sunfish 4        
Yellow Perch 15        
White Perch 29        
Black Crappie 11        
Fallfish 1        
American Eel 17        
Sea Lamprey 2        
Golden Shiner 0        
Common Shiner 0        
Northern Pike 0        
Brown Bulhead 0        
White Catfish 0        
Carp 1        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here to see 2009 totals (MS Excel file). Get a free MS Excel Viewer (download here) from Microsoft.

 

1 Diadromous is a general term referring to fishes that migrate between the ocean and freshwater in order to complete their life cycle.

This page was last updated September 14, 2009.