Collaboration on St. Croix Fish Passage Projects May Create Largest Alewife Run in North America

An 1874 map hanging in the Calais, Maine, library depicts the St. Croix, or Skutik, River flowing past the town. A spot on the river called Salmon Falls marks the location of a tribal fishing village. In 1881, the Milltown Dam was built across the river near the same site. The village-and the sea-run fish that sustained members of the Passamaquoddy People for thousands of years-disappeared. The Passamaquoddy now compose the tribal communities Sipayik and Indian Township in Maine and Skutik in New Brunswick.

This year, a major cross-border collaboration championed by the Passamaquoddy People resulted in the dismantling of the Milltown Dam, the lowermost dam on the river. It had persisted for more than 140 years. Following removal of the Milltown Dam, hundreds of thousands of alewives, a keystone species in river and ocean ecosystems, surged upriver during their annual spring migration. With further fish passage restoration, the Skutik could host North America's largest run of alewives.

Now, the Passamaquoddy Tribeat Sipayik and the Maine Department of Marine Resourcesare focused on the next major barriers to fish passage on the river: the Woodland and Grand Falls dams. Existing 1960s-era fishways on both dams are inadequate. With $35.6 million from NOAA's Office of Habitat Conservationthrough the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, the partners will develop state-of-the-art fishways to carry six species of migratory fish over the dams.

The project includes:

• Conducting studies to determine best designs for upstream American eel passage and downstream passage for alewives and eels at both dams
• Designing and building multiple upstream and downstream fish passage solutions at the Woodland Dam, including a fish ladder and a fish lift
• Designing multiple upstream and downstream fish passage solutions for the Grand Falls Dam
• Expanding the ability of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik to participate in restoration through workforce development and job support
• Helping the local economy by creating jobs and supporting fisheries for alewives and American eels

Alewives: the Fish that Feeds All

When complete, the restoration work will improve access to 600 miles of habitat for migratory fish and 60,000 acres of spawning habitat in lakes for alewife. A restoration planproduced by the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Skutik estimates that the river might support a run of more than 80 million adult alewives. They could produce billions of juveniles each year. This tremendous influx of biomass will supply energy and nutrients to all links of the food chain touched by their migration.

"Where there's a big run of alewives, the river gets black with fish," says Sean Ledwin, director of the Bureau of Sea Run Fisheries and Habitat for the Maine Department of Marine Resources. "All kinds of inland fish and wildlife like ospreys and minks eat alewives. Nearshore, they feed hake, striped bass, seals, puffins, and whales. When you have a project of this scale, you could have a big meaningful impact on bringing cod, pollock, and other species that tribes and other people fished for historically."

The restoration of the Skutik/St Croix River will not only benefit the ecosystem. It will also boost the economy of Washington County, Maine, the most economically depressed region in New England. Alewives are used as bait in the Maine lobster industry, which brought in about $464 million in 2023. Restoration would support the $20 million juvenile American eel (elver) fishery, in which the Passamaquoddy have a large interest. The project will also create construction jobs and related work in the nearby communities.

Restoring Long-Lost Tribal Connections to the River

The Passamaquoddy People have relied on the river for sustenance since time immemorial. Archeological evidence from the region shows the presence of alewife bones from an ancient hearth dating back 4,000 years.

"This river is central to who we are and what we're about," says Ralph Dana, a Passamaquoddy Tribal member overseeing the restoration work for the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik. "It was a source of sustenance, travel corridors, cultural practices, and medicinal gathering for thousands of years. Our namesake, Peskotomuhkati, means 'the people who spear pollock.' That profound connection speaks to who we are. We're fishers. Pollock used to be abundant here in the Passamaquoddy Bay, but it's been depleted."

Over the last 400 years, the Passamaquoddy were forced off their traditional homeland. Dams, water pollution, and other development decimated the river's fish populations. As early as 1821, the Passamaquoddy petitioned the State of Maine to stop the destruction of the watershed, but their proposal failed. Nevertheless, they continued to advocate for the restoration of sea-run fish.

In 1995, the State of Maine passed a law blocking fish passage on the Woodland and Grand Falls dams due to concerns alewife might harm introduced smallmouth bass populations. By 2002, the alewife run dwindled to about 900 individuals. The Passamaquoddy People led the repeal of the law in 2013, and the run has since rebounded to more than 600,000 fish.

However, with 99 percent of alewife habitat on the river upstream of the three major dams, the Passamaquoddy continued to act. "The tribes took a big lead," says Ledwin. "They developed the Skutik River Restoration Plan in 2019, did a project prioritization, and identified the projects [on the Milltown, Woodland, and Grand Falls dams] as the highest priority."

The International St. Croix River Watershed Boardbrought together the Passamaquoddy People, U.S. and Canadian federal governments, state and provincial governments, nonprofits and other interested parties to study the best options for fish passage at the dams. Canadian partner New Brunswick Power began the removal of the Milltown Dam in 2023. NOAA Fisheries has worked with the Passamaquoddy Tribe for more than 20 years. In 2023, we awarded the Tribe and the Maine Department of Marine Fisheries funds to design and build fishways over the Woodland Dam, and design fish passage solutions at Grand Falls.

After years of conflict, the effective collaboration behind these projects-which includes support from dam owners-represents a model for large-scale restoration. "It makes sense that we all try to join forces on this one," says Dana. "And I think that's where we've experienced some really exciting results."

"This incredible work on the St. Croix is only possible through the collaboration of so many partners," says Carrie Robinson, Director of NOAA's Office of Habitat Conservation. "I'm grateful in particular to the Passamaquoddy Tribe for their long-term advocacy for this restoration effort."

New Projects on the Woodland and Grand Falls Dams

NOAA is funding the design and construction of a large modern fish lift on the Woodland Dam, where the old fishway exists. Studies revealed that fish were gathering at another location on the dam, so we will fund a second pool-and-chute style fishway. Construction will begin in 2025. NOAA is also providing funding and technical assistance for the design of a nature-like fishway and a pool-and-chute fishway over the Grand Falls Dam. Project partners still need additional funds for construction at Grand Falls.

Upstream Eel Passage

The Passamaquoddy Tribe hired a staff biologist with NOAA funds who is researching the best designs for the upstream passage of American eels. Tiny juvenile American eels, which are born in the Sargasso Sea and spend their adulthood in rivers, will have the option of climbing new eelways at both dams. Eelways have a series of cylinders or mesh that allow baby eels, which are adept climbers, to ascend. The Tribe is also using radio telemetry studies and other methods to inform the design of downstream fish passage options for juvenile alewives and adult American eels migrating downstream to the ocean.

"This work wouldn't be possible without the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding," says Ledwin. "This is a big, complicated, expensive project, but I think when it is complete, it will be transformational to the fishing economy and the ecology of the ecosystem."

Dana hopes the momentum and excitement about these projects will inspire support for future restoration work. Fish passage could be improved at several additional dams upstream on the East and West branches of the river, benefiting the full suite of native sea-run fish. "We're in this for the long haul," says Dana. "This is who we are. We're not going anywhere."

Additional major partners include:

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
• The Nature Conservancy
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• Woodland Pulp, LLC
• New Brunswick Power

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