BAILEYVILLE — Alewife restoration on eastern Maine’s St. Croix River is being celebrated.
Federal and state officials, tribal representatives, environmentalists and other supporters are gathering at the Grand Falls dam in Baileyville on Wednesday to celebrate the re-opening of the dam’s fishway allowing alewives upstream for the first time in about 20 years.
Speakers will highlight restoration efforts and pledge their support for restoring the migratory fish.
Until lawmakers lifted the ban this spring, alewives hadn’t been allowed upriver of the dam since 1995, when the fishway was closed at the request of Maine guides who maintained that they posed a threat to smallmouth bass populations in upstream lakes and streams.
Supporters say allowing them upstream will allow the fish’s population to increase from tens of thousands to 10 million or more.
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