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Maine’s river herring making dramatic comeback, a godsend for the food chain

July 17, 2017 — Motorists crossing the bridge over the Kennebec this spring and early summer were afforded dramatic views of one of Maine’s mightiest rivers, a chain of islands and warships under construction at Bath Iron Works.

But one of the most awesome sights was hidden from view: millions of fish swimming under the bridge in a pilgrimage from the Atlantic Ocean to their spawning grounds in lakes, rivers and ponds scattered over hundreds of square miles of southern, central and western Maine.

River herring – in the midst of a dramatic comeback in Maine’s rivers with the recent removal of dams that blocked their spawning runs for decades – had a banner spring run this year, with millions of fish traveling up the Kennebec and Penobscot and the best run in decades recorded on the St. Croix. This was despite heavy rains this spring that created extra challenges for the fish.

The recovery of the small schooling fish is having dramatic secondary effects, as they represent a perfect food source for everything from bald eagles to Atlantic cod, and researchers anticipate future benefits as the herring’s numbers grow in the coming decade.

“You just don’t expect ecosystems to bounce back so quickly,” says Joshua Royte, a conservation scientist at The Nature Conservancy in Maine, which played a key role in a collaborative project to remove the Penobscot dams. “These rivers are coming back gangbusters and there will be children growing up now who will never know there was a time when you couldn’t run out to see fish running in these rivers.”

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

 

MAINE: Feds Propose to Protect Atlantic Sturgeon Habitat in Maine

June 3, 2016 — PORTLAND, Maine – Federal fishing regulators are proposing to designate the waters of several Maine rivers as critical habitat for Atlantic sturgeon.  The designation is also proposed for other Atlantic coast waterways further south.

The anadromous fish, which mature in estuaries and marine waters but return to rivers to spawn, are listed as a threatened species in the Gulf of Maine, and as endangered in other areas.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is proposing to protect the Atlantic sturgeon’s river habitat in Maine, including parts of the Penobscot, Androscoggin, Kennebec, and Piscataqua rivers.

“Sturgeon need this habitat to recover,” says NOAA Fisheries assistant administrator Eileen Sobeck, in a press release, “and these designations give us an important additional conservation tool.”
Read the full story at Maine Public Broadcasting Network

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