A sight to behold…

[Pepere]

The Alewives are running up to Damariscotta Lake to Spawn.

 

Every year for 3-4 weeks they swim back from the Ocean to the lake, Spawn 60,000 to 100,000 eggs per female and survivors make their way back down the fish ladder into the ocean.  
 

in 3-5 days the eggs hatch and by mid July the young will make it down the fish ladder into the ocean.  Interestingly they descend down the ladder tail first…

 

when I was a kid the ladder was just dry laid rocks forming pools, but those had to be reworked yearly due to ice and such.   
 

a few years ago, the towns rebuilt engineered ladder with concrete pools with weirs 8-10 inches high and with rock faces adhered to the concrete.  The rock faces are important as they absorb energy giving the fish more ability to rest.  A million fish a year make it up to the Damariscotta lake, nearly a 3 fold increase since before the new ladder.

 

This is just past the bridge as they enter into the channel.

 

 

here are some of the individual pools.

 

I brought one of my Grandson’s up to share it with him today.

 

My other grandson will go up next week…

Edited May 17 by Pepere

[Pepere]

Here are some links to articles, videos about the fish ladder.

 

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/fish-ladder-maine-lobster-industry

 

 

 

[Tlindsey]

On 5/17/2024 at 5:42 PM, Pepere said:

The Alewives are running up to Damariscotta Lake to Spawn.

 

Every year for 3-4 weeks they swim back from the Ocean to the lake, Spawn 60,000 to 100,000 eggs per female and survivors make their way back down the fish ladder into the ocean.  
 

in 3-5 days the eggs hatch and by mid July the young will make it down the fish ladder into the ocean.  Interestingly they descend down the ladder tail first…

 

when I was a kid the ladder was just dry laid rocks forming pools, but those had to be reworked yearly due to ice and such.   
 

a few years ago, the towns rebuilt engineered ladder with concrete pools with weirs 8-10 inches high and with rock faces adhered to the concrete.  The rock faces are important as they absorb energy giving the fish more ability to rest.  A million fish a year make it up to the Damariscotta lake, nearly a 3 fold increase since before the new ladder.

 

This is just past the bridge as they enter into the channel.

 

 

here are some of the individual pools.

 

I brought one of my Grandson’s up to share it with him today.

 

My other grandson will go up next week…

Wow that's a awesome sight. 

[Whitecloud09]

Astonishing. I’ve never seen that many fish, not even in the ocean lol. So insane! Awesome @Pepere! Not a lot of elbow room in there 😂

Edited May 18 by Whitecloud09

[Pepere]

On 5/17/2024 at 8:42 PM, Whitecloud09 said:

Astonishing. I’ve never seen that many fish, not even in the ocean lol.

In shallow pools you could see hundreds of fins sticking out of the surface of the water and moving.

 

if you look at the fish ladder photos you will see they are all covered with netting to keep the birds out.  In the open water however before the fish ladder, netting is impossible to suspend…

 

I watched a seagul land in the water, grab a fish and swallow it whole.  Now these fish are nearly a foot long!  Seagulls are not that huge!  It gave me heartburn to think of a nearly foot long fish squirming around in its stomach….  Thats a lot of fish in a bird not tremendously larger…

Harbor seals also come in for food too out in the bay…

 

In two more weeks it will be time for the Horseshoe crabs to come in to Spawn.  June 6 is the new moon highest tide..  the come in on the highest tide to deposit eggs at high water mark so the eggs are not flooded again before hatching.  I plan on bringing my grandson to see those at Thomas Point Beach a bit closer to home.  Thomas Point can see 1800 horseshoe crabs on the beach at one time.  And it is a rather small beach…

[madmark285]

My memories of Alewives, the mass die offs in Lake Michigan:

The Lamprey eels wiped out the Lake Trout and the Alewives population exploded. We would go the beach only to discover it was covered in crunchy dried up fish.

Stocking the lake with salmon has restored the balance of the lake.  

[Pepere]

Interesting.  Here in Maine the alewives stay in the lake less than 3 months at most…. By September all the juveniles are back in the Ocean for the next year before returning to Spawn.

 

some Alewives survive another year to spawn a second time.

[madmark285]

The alewives and lampreys spawn in rivers/harbors off Lake Michigan, they do not migrate back to the Ocean ie: the adults live in Lake Michigan.

So while the return of lampreys spawning in England was celebrated, they are hated in Michigan. 

[Pepere]

Here is an article a few years ago about the return of Alwives to China lakein Maine after an over 200 year absence.  Big push to open up obsolete unused dams and restore historic fisheries…

 

https://www.mainepublic.org/environment-and-outdoors/2022-05-20/alewives-return-to-china-lake-for-the-first-time-since-1783