Nequasset Fish Ladder

03/01/2022

Documentary of the ongoing efforts of the group "Upstream" for sea-run fish passage on Cobbossee Stream, Gardiner, Maine

01/05/2022

A TALE OF TWO RIVERS | DAM REMOVAL AND FISH RESTORATION ON THE KENNEBEC
January 07, 2022
The Kennebec was once the most productive river in Maine, supporting Atlantic salmon runs in the hundreds of thousands, and runs of shad and river herring in the many millions. Today, the future of the Kennebec River is at a critical point. Atlantic salmon are on the brink of extinction, and their recovery depends on further restoration of the Kennebec. Four dams above Waterville, owned by the international energy giant Brookfield Renewable Partners, stand in the way of a free and healthy Kennebec, blocking access to many miles of historic spawning and rearing habitat in the Sandy River. This represents the only place in the US where we can restore unrestricted access for endangered Atlantic salmon to a large river—and to one that contains some of the highest value and most productive salmon habitat in Maine. Federal and state agencies have identified these dams as the key impediment to restoring the Kennebec and have called for significant action: the removal of dams to save endangered Atlantic salmon and other sea-run fish. This year the Maine Legislature will consider a bill intended to prevent removal of these dams. Restoration on the Kennebec/Sandy is critical to meeting Recovery Goals for endangered salmon. Join Jeff Reardon, Maine Brook Trout Project Director for Trout Unlimited, and Sean Mahoney, Executive Vice President and Director of the Conservation Law Foundation in Maine, to learn more.

Register below

The Kennebec was once the most productive river in Maine, supporting Atlantic salmon runs in the hundreds of thousands, and runs of shad and river herring in the many millions. Today, the future of the Kennebec River is at a critical point. Atlantic salmon are on the brink of extinction, and their r...

09/11/2021

Thank you Natural Resources Council of Maine for this great video about the Kennebec. The fish of Nequasset will benefit from further restoration of the river.

09/23/2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecFDFgKqhPM&feature=youtu.be

From the farm, we enjoy a lovely view of the salty sea, which in Maine has always been viewed as a source of abundance and resource. But there is another sto...

05/27/2020

Hard to fill in the new digital data sheet with my paws, but I see lots of fish!!

05/19/2020

Sign-up to count fish during a two hour block of time and count fish for two 10-minute periods in that time. Counts take place every day during the alewife run, which usually lasts about a month.

05/15/2020

05/15/2020

The fish are here!
Visit https://www.kennebecestuary.org/fish-counting for more information.

04/24/2020

When will the fish arrive?
We usually see the first fish climb the ladder when water temperatures are in the mid 50s. Right now, the lake water temperatures are still in the 40s. We will send out an email when the fish arrive at the ladder!

04/10/2020

The alewives arrive annually at Nequasset in late April/early May and usually start climbing the ladder when water temperatures are in the mid 50s.
The ice was out early this year, but water temperatures are still cold. As we continue to determine the best way to update the methods and instructions so that we can safely continue with this year’s count under these unique circumstances, we are thrilled to see your messages of support and interest in contributing to this project.
Stay tuned for more information in the next week!

04/06/2020

The alewives are coming!

The alewives are coming!
We are figuring out how to proceed with this years fish count in the safest way possible, and will provide more details soon.
To learn more about the Nequasset Alewife Count and this great migration, visit www.kennebecestuary.org/fish-counting

01/22/2020

“From Maine to California, environmental groups are making the case to dismantle dams as a way to improve the ecology of river systems. Allowing fish to spawn is a chief goal, but it is not the only one. The flow of nutrients and sediments vital to the food web is also stymied by even the smallest dams.

In 2012 and 2013, two enormous dams were demolished on the Penobscot River in Maine, which had seen its fishery all but collapse since the early 1800s. Now fish have returned in droves: Atlantic salmon, alewives, baby eels, shad and brook trout, to name a few.”

Thousands of dams across New York, many abandoned, are blocking fish migrations. A movement to remove them is growing.