Each spring, thousands of alewives make their way up the Medomak River, and the annual migration draws eagles, osprey and gulls to the river. An anadromous fish, alewives spend most of their life at sea but return to freshwater each spring to spawn. Last spring, volunteer fish counters with the Alewife Enhancement Project documented a total of over 32,000 alewives during the spring run.
Starting this month, the Medomak River Alewife Enhancement Project will again place a net across the river to funnel migrating alewives through a narrow gate below the counting station off of Mill Street in Waldoboro. Volunteers will work two-hour shifts counting fish as they pass through the gate, and the data will be used to help assess the health of the Medomak River alewife population and guide future restoration efforts.
The Alewife Project is currently looking for volunteers to help count alewives during the 2008 run. Counters are needed from noon to 8 p.m., every day of the week; volunteering provides an opportunity to witness this natural phenomenon.
For more information about the project and how to become involved, contact Katie Renwick at 832-5570, e-mail volmvlt@midcoast.com or visit the Web site at www.medomakvalley.org/alewives.html.