Williams 38 powerboat: makes At 93, Ashley Bryan Modern bottom, classic top a comeback as fish return makes art with heart BOATS,HOMES& HARBORS Captain Fix-It Top mechanic brings vintage boats and engines back to life Christine Lipsky (driving) and Justin Stevens (right), both scientists with the National Marine Fisheries Service, survey the Penobscot River estuary for fish using hydroacoustic monitoring equipment. Penobscot River

ETWEEN THE HEAD of tide hundreds of related to those indus- If you above Bangor to where it widens tries, the Penobscot has fared better than Binto the bay at Searsport, the most New England rivers over the years, Penobscot River shifts from a flowing which helps explain why the river has (un)build it, freshwater waterway banked by cedar and received so much attention. Though still pine to a brackish, wave-lapped marsh recovering from years of abuse, the with a rocky shoreline. In this estuary, salt Penobscot has potential. Compared to the fish will concentrations fluctuate as the winds and other waterways of a similar size, the tides push sea water and sediments back Penobscot has fewer dams, better water return and forth. quality, and—most important to fish biol- The estuary and the river that feeds it ogists—it is one of the few New England have taken on a new character recently, rivers that still hosts all 12 species of BY CATHERINE SCHMITT and have become an international exam- native sea-run or migratory fish, includ- ple of watershed restoration. ing the largest remaining run of Atlantic Despite two centuries of intensive salmon in America. timber harvesting and pulp and paper The Penobscot Indian Nation and six manufacturing, and the construction of conservation organizations initiated the

62 MAINE BOATS, HOMES & HARBORS | November / December 2016 | Issue 143 the Penobscot River Restoration Proj- ect more than a decade ago, with the goal of restoring fish populations and related ecological and economic benefits. Millions of fish once filled the river, sus- taining the Penobscot Indian Nation for thousands of years, and supporting commercial and recreational fisheries. Top photos by Catherine Schmitt (2) Top The Great Works was removed in 2012 and the in 2013. In the summer of 2016, engineers complet- ed a bypass channel around the How- Juvenile alewives from the Penobscot River estuary, September 2014. land Dam on the , a major tributary. on previous research and observations, After migrating upriver—alewives in With improved access to thousands are in need of updating as newer tech- April and May to lakes and bluebacks in of miles of habitat, the big question was niques allow a more detailed look at fish May and June to rivers—the fish (col- whether the fish populations would behavior,” said Wilson. lectively known as river herring) mate, rebound. Now, the initial post-dam- Wilson studies alewives and blue- lay eggs, and then either die or go back removal results are coming in. Overall, back herring, small members of the her- to the ocean according to widely accept- scientists are documenting a massive ring family that live in the ocean and ed textbooks. increase in populations of river herring. breed in fresh water. Interest in Maine But the recent research has found a Significant numbers of sea lamprey and river herring has been high because of more nuanced reality. sturgeon also have been found in the their commercial importance to the lob- In the case of river herring, it river. In addition, the studies have result- ster bait fishery and declines in abun- appeared that juveniles might stay clos- ed in a few surprises, including new pre- dance that prompted consideration for er to shore, or move back and forth viously unexpected information about Endangered Species Act listing. between salt and fresh waters. Intrigued, Restoration

the lifecyles of certain river fish species. Alewives are easy to move around Karen Wilson, an assistant research and “stock”—adult alewives returning to professor at the University of Southern spawn can be placed in a new pond in Maine, earned her undergraduate degree May, and their young will imprint on in wildlife and fisheries biology at the their new home as they grow through- University of -Davis and mas- out the summer. Along with improve- ter’s and doctoral degrees at the Univer- ments in fish passage (ladders, unre- sity of . stricted bridges and culverts, etc.), Now a full-fledged research scientist, stocking occurred at Chemo, Pushaw, she is ready to build on the knowledge of and Davis ponds, Mattamiscontis Lake, those who came before. and six additional ponds in the Penob- Based on her studies of fish in the scot tributary. Penobscot estuary she, her research part- ners, and students are finding that what Karen Wilson, fisheries biologist and faculty have been considered “facts” are not nec- member at the University of Southern Maine, essarily fundamental truths. “Students studies alewives and blueback herring,

are finding that their assumptions, based aboard a research vessel in the Penobscot. Photo by Matthew Duff

Reprinted with permission of MAINE BOATS, HOMES & HARBORS • DIGITAL edition @ www.maineboats.com 63 What about salmon? While other fish species in the Penobscot are on the rebound, the story is Wilson secured funding from Maine Sea not so clear for the river’s most famous fish, the . The Grant to study the early lives of alewives species remains critically endangered. In 2015, only about 730 salmon and blueback herring in the Penobscot, its returned to the Penobscot River; fewer than that in 2016. Remaining dams estuary, and the bay. on the river continue to harm and kill salmon, especially on the down- In one study, student Molly Payne stream migration. Wynne focused on blueback herring, ana- For salmon populations here at the southern edge of their range, “a lyzing otoliths (ear bones), which record lot depends on the marine environment, and unfortunately, salmon face minute changes in chemistry from fresh some pretty big challenges in the ocean right now,” said Rory Saunders, water to salt water. The results showed that a biologist with NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service. Those challenges adult fish returning to the same tributary include changes in ocean circulation, salinity, and temperature that are had similar patterns in freshwater and altering the entire food web of the North Atlantic, likely affecting salmon marine habitat use, but each tributary dif- as well as cod and Atlantic puffins. fered from the next, with fish from some NOAA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service share responsibility for tributaries heading directly to the ocean, and endangered species; NOAA monitors salmon in the estuary, bay, and those from other streams spending more ocean, while the USFWS maintains the genetic heritage of Penobscot time in fresh water or even the estuary. salmon at the Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery. The work is focused on Payne Wynne graduated and went on to preventing extinction because it’s much harder to bring back an extinct coordinate science and monitoring for the population than to preserve an existing one. Penobscot River Restoration Trust. She now Those watching the return of fish to the Penobscot remain hopeful for works with The Nature Conservancy in salmon, too. They have all but disappeared and come back before, demon- Maine. Graduate student Greg LaBonte strating their resilience, and the presence of other sea-run species indi- continued the work on river herring cates that the river is hospitable. Future work to improve water quality and otoliths, and found that growth rates of fish connect natural stream channels will further restore the ecosystem. The were similar in the different environments. future for salmon remains uncertain, but the welcome mat is out. —CS As a place for young fish to eat and get big-

64 MAINE BOATS, HOMES & HARBORS | November / December 2016 | Issue 143 PENOBSCOT RIVER RESTORATION

ger, the estuary appeared to be equal to Why are juveniles spending so much The numbers of river herring in the the bay. Larger fish tended to go farther time in the estuary? The answer appears Penobscot have gone from a few thou- into the bay, but some came back into to be simple: food. sand fish to more than one million in the estuary. Amy Webb, another graduate stu- just two years. Meanwhile, biologists from the dent working with Karen Wilson, ana- Everyone who studies the Penobscot National Marine Fisheries Service lyzed the diets of hundreds of river her- River has seen changes since the dam (NMFS) have been monitoring the ring in the estuary, and found they were removals. While alewives have been Penobscot estuary fish community. eating copepods, mysid shrimp, and bar- helped through stocking efforts, other Helped by Islesboro fisherman Josh nacle larvae. Many fish were coming in fish have appeared on their own. Conover and his boat, the 38-foot Odd from the bay to feed in the estuary. “In The NOAA survey detected rainbow Ball, NMFS scientist Justin Stevens just a few years, we have observed a smelt, and dense schools of juvenile trawls for fish from Hampden to Stock- noticeable decline in zooplankton abun- Atlantic herring in the lower estuary ton Springs, every month from May to dance that we think is most likely due to during the summer. Where impound- October. He uses echo sounders, devices river herring predation,” said Rachel ments have reverted to free-flowing cur- similar to recreational depth finders, to Lasley-Rasher, of the University of rent, river fishes like blueback herring, estimate fish density. The more recent Maine’s Darling Marine Center, who is eel, and sea lamprey have replaced slack- underwater surveys reveal a lot more fish also working with Wilson and the water fishes like golden shiner and small- biomass overall, including more fish in NOAA team on the estuary survey. mouth bass. more places compared to when the sur- “No one thought they [the herring] Researchers found more than 1,000 vey began in 2012. were hanging out in the estuary,” said shortnose and Atlantic sturgeon living in The trawls corroborated Wilson’s Wilson. “The estuary is a significant feed- the Penobscot, and witnessed them findings. ing area for these fish. They are staying move up into the restored river reaches “We were surprised to see juvenile there longer than people thought, mov- after dam removal. In the summer of river herring in the estuary every time ing back and forth, yet we don’t always 2016, three sturgeon showed up in the we looked,” said Stevens. think of the estuary as critical habitat.” elevator at the Milford Dam, now the

Reprinted with permission of MAINE BOATS, HOMES & HARBORS • DIGITAL edition @ www.maineboats.com 65 PENOBSCOT RIVER RESTORATION first major barrier to fish migrating time. It’s really kind of bringing back install “stream smart” road crossings, upstream from the sea. that base of the food web that’s been build fishways, construct rock-ramps at The population of , gone for so long,” Wilson said. dams, and remove aging infrastructure in once assumed to be a “remnant” of a few People, too, are benefiting from the order to give fish the best possible route hundred fish, is much larger. In 2016, expanded food web. Lobstermen prize to survival. In addition to helping fish, more than 7,000 adult shad returned to alewives and blueback herring for fresh these actions also improve water quality the Penobscot, and juveniles are rou- bait when lobster fishing intensifies in and reduce storm damage and flooding. tinely captured in the estuary. spring. Fishermen who want to harvest Beneath the surface, the Penobscot has There are faint signs that ground- cod and haddock near Penobscot Bay are undergone a somewhat sudden transfor- fish—monkfish, silver hake, and cod— waiting, watching to see if more ground- mation. The river is full of fish, schools are eating river herring as they migrate fish are attracted to the new populations of them moving upstream and down in in and out of the Penobscot. of prey. all seasons of the year. And these fish are Wilson has witnessed the change The rapid return of multiple species behaving in ways scientists would not first-hand. She grew up in Old Town and of fish to the Penobscot after dam have predicted. The full implications spent summers on Isle au Haut, sailing removal confirms that if you (un)build have yet to reveal themselves. When they around Penobscot Bay. She remembers it, the fish will come. It’s almost as if the do, scientists like Karen Wilson and when Atlantic herring were still running, fish were all there, waiting, knowing they Justin Stevens, and their students, will and white-sided dolphins and whales were about to get a chance to move be there, ready to document nature’s swam into the bay, and even that was upstream. As the results from pre- and capacity for surprise. ✮ nothing compared to how things must post-dam removal studies pile up, scien- have been 100 to 200 years ago. Now, she tists and resource managers are turning Catherine Schmitt is Communications Direc- sees hints of life coming back. their focus to the remaining barriers. tor for the Maine Sea Grant College Program “As you go up the estuary now, Thousands of misplaced and undersized at the . She is the author of there’s osprey, seals, harbor porpoise as culverts and hundreds of small dams The President’s Salmon: Restoring the King far as Winterport. There’s a lot of activ- continue to clog the arteries of the of Fish and Its Home Waters, published in ity, and we’d expect that to grow over Penobscot watershed. The race is on to 2015 by Down East Books.

66 MAINE BOATS, HOMES & HARBORS | November / December 2016 | Issue 143