Assessing Diadromous Fish Restoration in the
Kennebec and Androscoggin Rivers
Claire Enterline1, Gail Wippelhauser1, Nate Gray1, Paul Christman1, Karen Wilson2
1Maine Department of Marine Resources, Div. of Sea-Run Fisheries and Habitat
2University of Southern Maine, Department of Environmental Science
Salmon Forum, University of Maine, January 8, 2013
Historical and Continued Importance
Historical and Continued Importance
Historical weir fisheries
Current recreational and commercial
fisheries
“Alewives meet dam”© Heather Perry Photography
Species
Percent Currently
Available/Active
Lamprey 25%
Alewife 41%
Smelt ~50%
American shad 69%
Atlantic salmon 73%
Striped Bass 100%
Access to Habitat
SpeciesPercent
Currently Available
Alewife 41%
Historical and Current Habitat
SpeciesPercent
Currently Available
Alewife 41%
Low passage efficiency at fishways limits population
growth
Historical and Current Habitat
Working Towards Restoration: Kennebec River
1987: Kennebec Hydro Developers Group (KHDG)
The long term objectives:• Annual production >6 million
alewives above Augusta• Annual production of 725,000
American shad above Augusta
• Trap and truck operations for river herring
• American shad stocking• Fish Passage improvements
Goal : Restore Maine’s native diadromous fishes to their historic range and abundance in the watershed.
Working Towards Restoration:Androscoggin River
1983: Brunswick Fishway1987: Pejepscot passage1988: Worumbo passage
• Trap and truck operations • Fish Passage improvements
Opening Habitat and Trap & Truck Operations: Measurable Results
1981
1983
1985
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
BFW RH Run Count (log normal)BFW 4-Year Prior Available Habitat
log
(x)
Correlation= 0.56, p = 0.0052;
Opening Habitat and Trap & Truck Operations: Measurable Results
2012201120102009200820072006200520042003200220012000199919981997199619951994199319920
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
3,000,000
3,500,000Alewife Restoration Escapement Kennebec Basin
1999 Edwards Dam Removed
2002 Plymouth Pond Fish Passage Installed2002 Guilford Dam Removed East Branch Sebasticook River
2003 Sebasticook Lake Fish Passage Installed
2006 Fish lifts Installed at Benton, Burnham, & Waterville
2008 Ft. Halifax Dam Removed
2009 Fish Passage Installed at Webber Pond
Runs by trap & truck 1992-2006
American Shad Restoration
Fry Stocking 1992 to 2008 :
• Eggs collected from adults from the Kennebec, Connecticut, Androscoggin, Merrimack, Saco, and Sebasticook Rivers
• Raised at the Waldoboro hatchery
• Marked by immersion in an oxytetracycline (OTC) bath
• Receiving locations both below and above dams:
• Androscoggin
• Kennebec
• Sebasticook
• Medomak
• Saco
• Adult shad also stocked in Kennebec and Sebasticook
American Shad Restoration:Assessing Stocking Program through ADULT Returns
19
88
19
90
19
92
19
94
19
96
19
98
20
00
20
02
20
04
20
06
20
08
20
10
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
log
10
(x+
1)
Fry Stocked 4-years Previous
Adult Stocked 4-years Previous
Adult Count at Fishways
Correlation with Adult Shad Counts at Fishways
Correlation with
fry stocking = 0.56
p = 0.230
Correlation with
adult stocking = 0.48
p = 0.165
American Shad Restoration:Assessing through Juvenile Abundance Surveys
Correlation with
fry stocking = 0.72
p = 0.005*
Correlation with adult stocking =
-0.06 p = 0.770
19
88
19
89
19
90
19
91
19
92
19
93
19
94
19
95
19
96
19
97
19
98
19
99
20
00
20
01
20
02
20
03
20
04
20
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20
06
20
07
20
08
20
09
20
10
20
11
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
log
10
(x+
1)
Fry Stocked 4-years Previous
Adult Stocked 4-years Previous
Juvenile Abundance Surveys
Correlation with Juvenile Abundance Index
Atlantic Salmon Restoration
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
05
101520253035404550
0
250,000
500,000
750,000
1,000,000
FryEyed Eggs4-yr later Hatchery Adult Returns4-yr later Naturally Reared Adult Returns
Ad
ult
Retu
rns
# F
ry a
nd
Eg
gs
Rele
ase
d
Fry and eyed eggs released in Sandy River drainage
Future Goals1. What is the potential for each species?
Species
Percent Currently
Available/Active
Lamprey 25%
Alewife 41%
Smelt ~50%
American shad 69%
Atlantic salmon 73%
Striped Bass 100%
Kennebec watershed could support over 9,446,765 returning spawning alewives
0
1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
Future Goals
2. How do we monitor success?
• Juvenile Abundance Surveys
• Fishway Counts• Video Monitoring
Future Goals3. What efforts should be continued or (re)initiated? What are the constraints?
Future Goals3. What efforts should be continued or (re)initiated? What are the constraints?
Future GoalsKHDG: • Annual contributions by the hydropower industry
ceased in 2010• Remaining funds are dwindling• Trigger numbers for installation of full fish passage
facilities have not been met. • There is no provision for continued
funding and restoration activities will subside without a future funding mechanism. Long term restoration dependent on:
• Multi-species restoration• Open passage, not dependent on fishways
and trap & truck• What do stated priorities not address?
Questions?