Alewives Return to Damariscotta Mills

Damariscotta Mills is one of those places where year round many people actually travel below the speed limit because they enjoy looking at the classic old architecture, the views of Great Salt Bay, the Mill Pond and Damariscotta Lake. This time of year not only are people driving slowly through the village, they are walking through the village and stopping along the way to witness one of Midcoast Maine's most interesting natural phenomena. 

 

Every year, roughly between Mother's Day and Father's Day. a few hundred thousand alewives make their way from the Atlantic Ocean, up the Damariscotta River, through the Great Salt Bay and climb up the fish ladder in Damariscotta Mills only to find themselves prey for various winged predators like osprey, bald eagles, cormorants and sea gulls. Not all of the danger is from above and sometimes the alewives make it all the way up the ladder and through the last gate into the waiting mouth of a largemouth bass. 

 

 

It is about a 40 foot climb from the foor of the the ladder to the mill pond where the alewives enter Damariscotta Lake and begin to spawn. Unlike salmon the alewives eventually return to the ocean after they have completed their mating which is of course preferable to the alternative.

 

This year there will be the Second Annual Fish Ladder Restoration Festival, a 4 day event during the Memorial Day Weekend. If you missed last year's festival you will not want to miss this year's as it promises to be even better. There will be a contra dance on the first night and live music, art festivals, fish science projects, a pig roast, smoked alewife tastings (yum) and lots of alewife themed activities that will appeal to everyone. What better way to welcome spring than to enjoy this spectacular event of nature? And please visit the website so you can learn how you can help continue the important work that has gone into restoring the ladder and preserving a piece of Maine's natural heritage. 

 

And while you are there feel free to have a look at some of the great listings that we have in the Mills like this one. 

  

 

Or maybe something a little bit more classic like this one.

So make plans to be in Damariscotta Mills May 22nd through the 25th for the festival. We will be waiting to see you!

Tom Field

 

Comments

[billyjoe jimbob]

nice

[La Jolla Homes]

The fish ladder restoration festival sounds like a lot of fun. But boy, those old photos of the huge fish harvests sure do tug at the heart strings. The current news reports are full of stories about the depletion of fish species in our lakes and ocean waters. In those "good ol' days" of unlimited fish harvests no one gave a second thought to the future of the marine environment. It turns out that we'll probably be running out of fish in our lifetimes... So good luck with the restoration. I hope it receives a lot of support. Thank you for your post!

[Philadelphia Real Estate Blog]

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