Nearly 200K Herring Make First Migratory Run Up Mystic River Since Civil War
A new "fish ladder" allows herring into their favorite spawning location.
Photos
"For the first time since the Civil War, river herring (both Alewife and Blueback herring) made their way to the Upper Mystic Lake on their own."
That's according to an announcement sent by the Mystic River Watershed Association.
According to the association, an estimated 198,932 herring made it up the Mystic River on their own to Upper Mystic Lake in Medford, Arlington and Winchester, which is their most desirable spawning habitat.
The fish used a "fish ladder" that was built into the newly renovated Mystic Lakes Dam in Arlington and Medford, the announcement says.
More than 85 volunteer fish monitors observed the herring run and logged 685 observations, which allowed the Mystic River Watershed Association to estimate the total herring run, according to the announcement.
"It's an exciting new program, and we're happy with the first year's results," said Katrina Sukola, a watershed scientist quoted in the announcement.
Interested people can learn more about the herring run and herring monitoring at www.mysticriver.org/herring-monitoring/.
Jonah Petri
8:21 am on Sunday, August 19, 2012
That's really interesting! I hope Patch will continue to write articles about local science like this.
I gotta admire the fish's persistence. They've been trying to spawn in the Upper Mystic Lake for the last 150 years since the dam was built? Geez I would've given up and gone extinct long ago. Good for them :)
kevin thomas crowley
12:36 pm on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
thanks to all the people who made this possible.