Augusta, ME - Alewife, a small Searun fish related to Atlantic herring, return to Maine in large numbers from April to late May every year.
“The alewife run is a harbinger of spring and gardeners will notice that alewives arrive in Maine’s rivers with the blooming of the shadbush (Amelanchier arborea), a native berry tree that grows all along the coast,” said Theo Willis, Ph.D., a Searun Fish Restoration Coordinator for DMR.
“Whether you garden or not, the timing means that a stroll to your local alewife run can be a lovely walk under a buzz of spring activity and aromas,” said Dr. Willis.
This year, with rivers swollen from ample spring rains and air temperature fluctuating between 50 and 70 during the day, alewife experts at the Maine Department of Marine Resources expect the fish migration to ramp up quickly.
“Alewife like to migrate on sunny days,” said Mike Brown, DMR’s head of Fisheries Management and Monitoring for Municipal Harvest. “They stack up below natural falls, any white water in a stream or below dams”. Alewife, and their close cousin the Blueback Herring, migrate into most streams along the Maine coast with a lake in the watershed.
“Small streams, like the aptly named Alewife Brook in Cape Elizabeth, to big rivers like the Kennebec and Penobscot have alewife runs,” said Dr. Willis.
There are many opportunities to see these fish in action.
“There is a popular hike to natural viewing areas on the Presumpscot River in Westbrook. Brunswick Dam has a viewing room open from Wednesday to Sunday, 1-5 pm,” said Dr. Willis.
On the way to Warren you pass a sign with a gilded alewife, part of the town seal.
“Payson Park, just upstream from downtown Warren, has a footbridge that overlooks the river where onlookers can watch clouds of fish push upstream to spawn in one of the six lakes in that watershed,” said Dr. Willis.
“On the Blue Hill peninsula, Walker Pond, Wight Pond and Pierce Pond all have natural fishways prime for watching alewife and the birds, especially osprey and bald eagles, that feast on this annual bounty,” said Dr. Willis.
Several locations provide enhanced educational experiences for the weekend visitor and school groups during the week.
“Damariscotta Mills has a strong affiliation with the Nobleboro Historical Society, providing signage and, with advanced notice, guides to help elementary and high school students understand how important alewives were to Maine’s economy and how important they are to Maine’s ecology today.
“This will be the second year that DMR has offered to help schools get kids to local alewife runs,” says Dr. Willis. “We have heard that busing is a limitation for most schools so DMR is offering to help facilitate kids learning about the state’s Searun fish heritage by picking up the tab to get classes to places like Damariscotta Mills.”
As far as how long Mainers and visitors have to check out an alewife run, the peak of the run is the week of Mother’s Day. If your school is interested in participating in the busing program visit https://forms.office.com/g/n7zaNmqNjT.