The Seasonal Joy of Maine Alewives

Maine lobstermen are welcoming the return of alewives to the coast this month. A much-anticipated rite of spring, the sturdy fish are once again coming in from the Gulf of Maine to their original rivers and streams to reach freshwater lakes to spawn.

Image Info Here

Maine is leading the way in alewife conservation in New England. In the past, dams, pollution and other barriers on rivers large and small kept the fish from passing upstream, leading to their disappearance along much of the coast.

Recent actions by the state of Maine, nonprofit organizations and towns to remove dams, install fish passageways and stock lakes have led to a dramatic increase in the number of alewives returning each year. Major rivers such as the Penobscot and the St. Croix now have healthy alewife runs. Others, such as the Kennebec and Androscoggin, will soon see alewife numbers rise when river restoration work is completed.

Lobstermen line up at sites where alewives are commercially harvested each spring because the oily plump fish make good fresh bait for early season lobster traps. The fish are also on the diet of striped bass, bluefish, tuna, cod, haddock, halibut, bald eagle, osprey, great blue heron, gulls, terns, cormorants, and seals.

According to the Department of Marine Resources, there are 35 Maine municipalities that have commercial harvesting rights to alewives on 39 streams and rivers.