End of Season Update from the Nequasset Alewife Count
Volunteers have counted 14,623 fish this spring!
An update on the second half of this year’s alewife run…
Please submit all your fish count data by Tuesday, 6/27, for the end of season report!
When all the fish counts are in, we will run the numbers through a program called "VisuCount" to estimate the total number of fish that made it into the lake this spring.
This update includes:
A graph of all fish counts
A link to videos of neat sights observed at the ladder this spring
A look at some numbers - Check out which time of day has the most high fish counts and how high and low counts this year compare to other years
Some samples of fish counter observations
2023 Fish Counts
The fish count this year started and ended strong.
After the first update about the fish counts between 5/6 - 5/16 went out with the report that each day was seeing at least a few high fish counts, the fish counts tapered off and were relatively low on 5/17 and 5/18. They remained low throughout the day with higher evening counts on 5/19 through 5/24, which may be partially due to the timing of the tides. The tide was low in the morning and evening, so there were few fish entering the ladder until the higher tides around midday. Because it takes a couple hours to climb the ladder, those midday fish were entering the ladder in the evening. We had received a pretty big rain storm on the 20th, and a number of the morning fish counters who saw low numbers that week suggested the water was too strong for the fish. Because we were still seeing high fish numbers in the evenings on the 21st-24th, it seems that the higher flows were not causing significant problems for fish movement.
Counts stayed very low from 5/25 to 5/28, and then they started to pick up on 5/29. From then through 6/3, the fish count numbers remained high, with a mix of fish entering the lake and fish schooling in the lake above the ladder and making their way down. Some of the counts that were very high may have been a blend of fish entering and leaving the lake. By 6/4, there were many fish leaving the lake with only a few still making their way in.
Scenes from the Ladder
KELT staff and volunteers have seen neat sights at the ladder!
Check out videos that were shared of this year's alewife count at the link below. Along with the flooding videos shared in the last update email, some of the other highlights include large schools of fish, snapping turtles, loons, and ospreys.
A Look at Some Numbers
In 2023, evening fish counts were most likely to have higher numbers
50% of the fish counts that happened in the 6pm to 8pm time block were above 100! This was the time of day when people were most likely to see large numbers of fish. Count numbers tended to be lower in the early morning and midday times. Interestingly, there were no counts of 0 fish in the 4pm to 6pm time block.
This year was one of the 5 years where there were no days with 0 fish entering the lake. Compared to the past 12 years, this year has the fourth highest number of days were there were fish counts greater than 100.
The alewife run numbers went up and down from day to day and morning to evening, but this was a year where there were no days without a single fish entering the lake. I think the consistency of this year's alewife run will translate into a pretty high estimate of the total number of fish that entered the lake.
High counts are a good sign that a lot of fish are making it into the lake! This year ranks 4th for the number of days during the alewife run where there was at least 1 fish count greater than 100.
A few neat observations from fish counters
5/15/2023: "Lots of eagles! 5lb bass hanging just above the ladder."
5/16/2023: "Still many fish in the top pool. A photographer came at the end of the time. Two herons came and perched in trees. One osprey flew overhead but did not perch."
5/17/2023: "Common loon above the dam."
"Just over 1/10th the number this year that I counted in the past two years (on the same date). Saw a good number of fish (10 or so) backing down the ladder and I couldn't help but suspect there was a predator fish lurking in that last pool."
"Around 6 adult seagulls came and hung out at the top of the dam after I had been there for some time. Two of them went down to below the dam at different times and flew back up to the top of the dam with a small 2-3 inch long fish - I don't think either shared with the other seagulls!!"
5/18/2023: "One eagle and one osprey flew over. Very few fish in the ladder this morning. Incoming tide."
"There were about 7 alewives circling at the top of the weir that didn't cross into the lake while I was there. Also saw an osprey catch a fish just below the dam and another flying overhead."
"6 seagulls on the dam. One lackadaisical eagle."
5/19/2023: "There were fish swimming around by the red building and in the channel. Saw two loons at the ladder swimming around near the spillway. One osprey flying around and calling."
"Really windy; didn’t see any osprey or gulls. A really big fish, 11-12”, was just above the fish ladder in the pond. Tiny blueish flies circling. 4 brown tail moths on the dam(!) maybe blown off of a tree."
"Wind has picked up. Some fish at the bottom of the ladder but not making their way up."
"5-10 gulls on dam and circling. Low tide. Alewife harvest starting - harvester said fish didn't come in until the evening, but he expects the evening's harvest to be at least 75 bushels."
5/20/2023: "Heron stalking fish nearby"
"Schools of alewives at the base of the run were being pursued by predator fish, probably striped bass, and making the water boil as they tried to escape. Six or seven great blue herons and a bald eagle were just downstream. Bought two smoked herring."
5/21/2023: "Heavy rain previous night."
"Lots of water pouring over the dam - a few fish swam onto the dam to the right of the top of the ladder - 1 washed off back down but 2 made it by swimming up the water and back over onto the ladder- an exciting count. Also several fish were swimming to the far right of the river below the dam. Haven’t noticed that before."
5/22/2023: "Bright sun and breezy. Water from the lake was rushing fiercely over the dam and down the fish ladder, so fiercely that the alewives were prevented from climbing the ladder and entering the lake. But there were plenty of fish in the river below, and the gulls and a raven were enjoying a feast on the rocks at the foot of dam."
5/23/2023: "The water was very high, running across the concrete. A good day to wear boots. It was amazing that any fish made it up the ladder against the force of the water today. They definitely are determined."
"A heron below the ladder, so many fish they were jumping in the river below!"
5/24/2023: "Lots of seagulls near ladder; 1 bald eagle further downstream in a tree. Water very full, about 10" over top of board and water moving very fast. The man who manages the flow said he was considering adding another board to slow it down."
5/25/2023: "20-30 Gulls returned, swarmed overhead and settled on the raised concrete abutment on the east side of the dam. Alewives continued to enter the lake in groups of two and three."
"Water on deck of dam, a bald eagle flew over, gulls around, an osprey calling, two groups of people interested in the fish count. Lots of water leaving the stream and although one could see fish in the ladder steps, it was hard work for them against the flow of the water to cross into stream."
"Not a busy time today, but still fun to count."
5/26/2023: "6 seagulls, 1 mature eagle, 1 juvenile eagle."
5/27/2023: "Nothing entered. There were no fish above at the top of the ladder nor were there any below near the fish house."
5/28/2023: "Big turtle, snapper? Dragonfly, seven gulls, heron landed and left and flew upstream later. Fish milling around weir as if preparing to leave, but only one exited."
5/29/2023: "Saw an eagle soaring up high and several active gulls. Otherwise, less visible wildlife than usual. The smokehouse was operating and busy."
5/30/2023: "Beautiful day, and the ladder was cranking. By far the busiest day we have had in all the years we have counted fish. Ospreys were fishing, and a pair of eagles flew overhead. Tons of opportunistic gulls were perched at the bottom of the ladder scarfing up dead alewives that floated by."
5/31/2023: "Wow! Fish filling the lake, ladder. About 40 fish slipping back from the lake to the ladder but others clearly making their run up. 2 sets of people visiting the ladder. Fish jumping in the lake. 6 seagulls on the dam, Browntail moth caterpillar on the water thermometer."
"Another beautiful day for counting fish. Several seagulls along top of dam but left when I arrived. Large numbers of fish at top of ladder making it difficult at times to count them all as they entered the pond. The flow of water returned some into the ladder so may have gotten counted more than once."
6/1/2023: "What a glorious summer day. Slight water was still going over the dam and 20+/- gulls took off upon my arrival. 158 fish went down out of the lake (Count up was 735). There were so many fish hanging around the dam at the top of the ladder it was hard to really tell who was coming and who was going. I know I saw at least one fish multiple times, in and out, because of the gouge out of its back. There were many more scarred fish than I had seen before too."
6/2/2023: "Lake filled with alewives near the ladder top. About 50 crossed back onto the ladder (est.) (Count up was 368). Probably 20% swept back. At least 4 had wounds on their necks or dorsal fins. Wind came up from N."
6/3/2023: "There are so many fish that I think I under-counted, but it was hard to keep track of all of them! It seemed like 8-10 entered every few seconds! Wow!"
Your alewife count results help to support the alewife population and sustainable alewife harvest at Nequasset Lake.
The fish count numbers are used by the town to sustainably manage the harvest, the Bath Water District to measure and improve the function of the fish ladder, the Maine Dept. of Marine Resources to study and manage fish populations around the state, and other groups who do local road and stream projects to make sure these projects don't harm fish.
