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East Vassalboro and North Vassalboro, Maine
Funded in FY2019 through the National Fish Habitat Action Plan.
Maine Rivers will work with partners to construct Denil fishways at the Outlet Dam and Box Mill Dam on Outlet Stream in Maine. This work is part of the Alewife Restoration Initiative, which is providing access from the ocean to China Lake’s 3,939 surface acres through barrier removal or added fish passage at the six dams located on the stream. For over 240 years, a run of 800,000 – 950,000 alewives have been blocked from accessing the lake’s spawning and nursery habitat. American eel, sea lamprey, blueback herring, white sucker, and brook trout will also benefit from this work and the larger Alewife Restoration Initiative. Providing fish passage into China Lake meets objectives within three management plans: 1) the Kennebec River Resource Management Plan, 2) the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Shad and River Herring, and 3) the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel.
Text and images provided by Maine Rivers.