NEW! Spotlight on Rainbow Smelt Spring Alewife Migrations Anyone interested in seeing what fish runs could be like on the Penobscot River simply need to visit the fish ladder at Damariscotta Mills in late May or early June. The spring running of alewives provides ample viewing opportunities to watch thousands upon thousands of fish at the end of their journey from the open sea as they climb up the rock and pool fish ladder to spawning habitat in Damariscotta Lake. Visitors to the fish ladder and boardwalk delight in the sight of fish leaping up steep sections of the ladder, resting in pools, and finally slipping through the final passageway into the lake. See below for links to additional information on alewives and the migration of other sea-run fish. Alewife Life Cycle Illustration Spring Migrations on the Kennebec          Alewife Fact Sheet          Penobscot River Sea-Run Fisheries Working Waterfront Story PDF Version    NEW! Bangor Daily News Story: Humble alewives gaining biologist's attention Journal Article Highlights the Ecological Connections Between Atlantic Salmon and other Sea-run Fish on Maine Rivers The recovery of Atlantic salmon on the Penobscot River likely depends on a return of healthy populations of alewives, blueback herring, American shad and other sea-run species. An article in Fisheries (Nov. 2006) explores the historic and current abundance of five species of sea-run fish that are considered to provide important ecological functions that support the different life stages of salmon (for example, migration of adult alewives to inland spawning habitat most likely provided an alternative source of food for known predators of out-migrating Atlantic salmon smolts). Select link to read more... Fisheries, November 2006 More features coming soon!