Damariscotta Fish Ladder
Challenges
The original fish ladder was a series of small pools connected by short passages that raised over 42 feet from the bay to the impoundment. The fish ladder worked well for about 180 years but its stonework and the underlying concrete deteriorated as ice dislodged stones and blocked the path for the fish. By the 1990s, the fish ladder was in very poor condition, and fish count plummeted to less than 200,000.
Solutions
With strong community organizing, and fundraising, the reconstruction of the fish ladder began in 2007. The redesign and reconstruction of the fish ladder is similar to that of the original, consisting of a series of 69 ascending pools connected by weirs, or short waterfall passageways that each rise 8-10 inches. The reconstruction took over 10 years and could only take place from November - April to avoid spawning season. In April every year, the construction team had to stop so the ladder could be used for the spring migration. The renovated ladder winds 1,500 feet up the hill and was reconstructed using the original stones and designed to weave around mature trees that shade the pools.
The lower pools are publicly accessible and include a boardwalk and signage. The upper portions snake through residential backyards before reaching the lake.
At the lower end of the pools, a set of “dippers” and troughs, allow for the towns to harvest alewife. The harvested alewives are used primarily as lobster bait however a few bushels are smoked and sold for human consumption. All funds received for harvested alewives are spent to maintain and restore the fish ladder and harvesting area.
Successes
Following the restoration, more than one million alewives pass up the fish ladder to spawn each spring making the Damariscotta river one of Maine’s oldest and most productive alewife fisheries.
Community support has been key to the restoration of the fish ladders. An annual Herring festival took place from 2007 until the pandemic and helped raise funds and support for the restoration. Currently the community group is raising funds to replace the boardwalk and foot bridges . Volunteers are present at the Fish Ladder on May weekends to welcome visitors, and sell tee shirts caps and other Fish Ladder. In addition, fundraising takes place at community events such as a silent auctions, an annual “Alewife run” and concerts.
Plans of the fish ladder before and after restoration.
References and Additional Resources
https://damariscottamills.org/
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/fish-ladder-maine-lobster-industry
