Did You Know? Rainbow Smelt Restoration is Underway

by Dorie Stolley, Coordinator and Outreach Manager for Watershed Action Alliance of Southeastern Massachusetts

Rainbow smelt are similar in lifestyle to the mighty alewife and blueback herring. These diminutive forage fish are anadromous - they hatch in freshwater, travel to the ocean to grow to adulthood, then, return annually to their natal waters to reproduce. Once they were widely celebrated throughout coastal Massachusetts in late winter for their savory flavor as hordes were caught, coated in flour, fried and eaten with gusto. Now, only a few tenacious fishermen and their families experience this delight. Overfishing, pollution and dams are a few of the factors to blame for the decline of this once regionally important fish.

Two centuries ago rainbow smelt spawned in rivers as far south as the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia; now their southernmost spawning area is in Buzzard’s Bay in southeastern Massachusetts. Rainbow smelt numbers have been dropping since the 1800’s when people caught them in nets by the thousands during the late winter spawning runs. Harvesting large numbers of fish before they were allowed to reproduce in this manner was blamed for a noticeable decrease in smelt numbers, and in 1868 the Massachusetts State legislature banned the taking of smelt by net during the spawning run. By 1874, all methods of fishing except hook and line were forbidden year-round in all but a few rivers. While some local smelt fisheries reported a rebound, statewide the decline continued right up until 2004 when the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared them a federal Species of Concern. Now, work is underway to better understand the reasons for the decline and to restore their numbers across Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.

To restore smelt, their basic spawning needs must be met; these can be summed up in a few words: clean, flowing water. To a rainbow smelt, clean water means very low levels of dissolved contaminants, nutrients and sediment, all of which can kill vulnerable eggs. Flowing water means enough water to swim in, as well as the absence of obstacles, like dams or improperly positioned culverts, which can impede movement upstream to prime spawning areas of fairly fast-flowing, highly oxygenated water.  

When we work to benefit rainbow smelt, we increase the health of a river delivering a myriad of benefits to other wildlife, to humans and to the watershed as a whole. For instance, removing derelict dams allows smelt, river herring and other migratory fish to move along the river, and also can decrease the risk of catastrophic flooding, liability to the dam owner, and mosquito breeding habitat and increase human recreational opportunities. In another example, filtering polluted rainwater runoff from roads before it gets to our streams will increase water quality for all living creatures that live in it or drink it, including people.

The State of Massachusetts is working with New Hampshire and Maine to develop a regional plan to conserve and restore smelt. We can also do our part for smelt, herring and other wildlife that depend on our region’s rivers. Most measures are relatively easy such as leaving streamside vegetation in place or planting streamside trees and shrubs. Other measures provide both cost savings and habitat benefits, such as using minimal fertilizer on lawns and gardens. Asking your town to reduce its use of road salt and sand near streams and supporting the purchase of conservation lands that include spawning streams provide additional benefits.

To make an even bigger difference and add your voice to that of your neighbors, join your local watershed association. These groups are working together to improve water quality, human and ecosystem health, and recreational opportunities.  Find your watershed organization by visiting watershedaction.org.

School of rainbow smelt

Images and information from:

Informative website - http://restorerainbowsmelt.com

Brochure on rainbow smelt http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/species/rainbow_smelt_brochure_08102010.pdf 

Rainbow Smelt Conservation Plan for the Gulf of Maine http://restorerainbowsmelt.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Smelt-Conservation-Plan-final.pdf       

Bringing Rivers Back to Life in Southeastern Massachusetts

Our blogger today is Dorie Stolley, Coordinator and Outreach Manager for Watershed Action Alliance.

Yesterday, I went on a tour of river restoration projects in southeastern Massachusetts sponsored by the Sheehan Family Foundation. Our tour guide was Alison Bowden of The Nature Conservancy. Numerous representatives of state agencies, watershed associations and other conservation organizations shared their experiences and expertise. This blog presents some of what I learned about the huge benefits of river restoration.

Rivers and their wildlife, such as fish, turtles, birds and even bugs, are part of our great natural heritage here in southeastern Massachusetts. Unfortunately, dams, pollution, and high water use have damaged and diminished our once clean, free-flowing and lively watercourses. The good news is that concerned people and organizations are joining together to restore our rivers with projects that benefit water, wildlife and our local economies. What follows are four examples from around the region of river restoration projects in various stages of completion.

The site of the former Whittenton Street dam is well on its way to
 becoming a beautiful stream side park.

For instance, in Taunton, the state of Massachusetts is leading the country in protecting the environment, preventing flooding and creating jobs at the same time. An obsolete dam on the Mill River called the Whittenton Street dam made national headlines in 2005 when heavy rains led to its near failure. Two thousand people were evacuated from their homes and schools, offices and businesses were closed for two days. Conservation organizations, such as Save the Bay – Narragansett Bay, teamed up to remove the dam this year and restore the river to a natural channel and flow to prevent future catastrophe, benefit wildlife, alleviate dam owner liability and create a beautiful natural area that people can enjoy. 

Another successful river restoration project is well on its way to completion in America’s hometown: Plymouth. Here river herring are returning to the same stream the Wampanoag and Pilgrims harvested them from for food and fertilizer centuries ago. The 1.5 mile long Town Brook flows out of Billington Sea, which encompasses 269 acres of spawning habitat. Town Brook, a small stream, had six dams blocking fish passage and some held contaminated sediments in their impounded waters. One dam was removed in 2002 and two were equipped with new fishways.

That leaves three unsurpassable dams between the fish and their historic spawning grounds. The Plymco dam will come down next year, if adequate funding can be secured. The Off Billington Street dam, is slated for removal in the next few months. And, the final dam is being studied to determine the best solution for fish passage. Besides eliminating contaminated material from the streambed, benefiting the environment and restoring a piece of our history, this river restoration project is adding recreational trails along the now scenic and accessible brook.

Similarly, the Jones River Watershed Association is reconnecting an important river to the ocean in the town of Kingston. The Jones River is 7.5 miles long from its headwaters at Silver Lake to its mouth in Kingston Bay. There is a fish ladder at the lowest dam—the Elm Street dam—that allows some fish to continue upstream. Removal of the second impediment, the Wapping Road dam, in 2011 and restoration of the stream bank and floodplain expanded the habitat available to fish and transformed an unnaturally warm, sluggish and sediment-filled pond into a lovely stream with riffles, wildflowers and the musical sound of flowing water.

Watch the dam come down really fast in this speeded up video.

The final blockage is the Forge Pond dam at Silver Lake. Discussion with stakeholders on how to address the issue are underway.

A final example is that of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association (NSRWA). It is restoring Third Herring Brook in Hanover and Norwell. Four dams block fish passage to ten miles of mainstream and tributary habitat and 59 acres of pond habitat. The long process of planning and preparing for dam removal and river restoration is underway for two of the dams, one of which is located on the property of the South Shore YMCA.

This dam, the Mill Road dam, is in disrepair and was breached during a heavy rainstorm in 2010. It is dangerous and a big liability for the YMCA, and they are committed to its removal. However, the cost of removal, which is scheduled for 2014, is high and competes with the YMCA completing its primary mission. Many organizations are working together to fund various aspects of the project and the NSRWA’s involvement continues to be critical. With the completion of this project, a dangerous situation will be made safe, an area for nature discovery opened up for children, and historic spawning grounds for river herring reopened.

Our tour leader, Alison Bowden, Freshwater 
Program Director for The Nature Conservancy.

State Senator Marc Pacheco supports river restoration. He
spoke with pride at the Whittenton Dam removal site of how
Massachusetts leads the country in protecting the environment
and creating jobs at the same time.

 

For More Information

Massachusetts State Department of Ecological Restoration's report on the economic effects of ecological restoration, including dam removal:

http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/der/publications/

Auditor's report on the cost of dam maintenance and dam safety issues:

http://www.mass.gov/auditor/docs/dlm-municipal/dlmdamsafetyreport.pdf

Journal paper by Alison Bowden of The Nature Conservancy on recovery of river herring:

http://icesjms.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/fst130?ijkey=Dh381woe2LvEAsd&keytype=ref

A series of stories on river herring and other baitfish from WCAI Public Radio:  

http://www.capeandislands.org/post/dwindling-baitfish-stocks-worry-fishermen-and-regulators