More alewife, blueback herring returning to St. Croix River after dam removal, group says
listen to this article
estimated 3 minutes
The audio version of this article has been generated by AI-based technology. There may be incorrect pronunciations. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve results.
Conservationists are reporting that more alewife and blueback herring are returning to the St. Croix River after the removal of a hydroelectric dam two years ago.
Saint Croix River, also known as Skutik, flows with The city of Saint Stephen, southwest of New Brunswick, was once home to the Milltown Dam.
The dam was removed with the help of efforts led by conservationists.
“It feels alive again. It feels like its own entity again and it’s really beautiful,” said Alexa Meyer of the Passamaquoddy Recognition Group, an Indigenous-led group that represents interests. Pescotomuhkati Nation.
The mayor said he believed there were more than one million fish in the river, an increase of about 800,000 since the last recorded population.
“But the actual number of fish in the river is estimated to be between 50 and 100 million,” she said.
“The Milltown Dam stood for 140-ish years but before that (the river) was really the heart of the Pescotomuktee Nation.”
He said it was a place where families would come together to fish.
“For the country, it’s very special to see that dam reopen.”
Beginning of cultural restoration
Matt Abbott of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick is discussing the river, where people can share its history and talk about their personal connection to it.
Abbott said of the dam’s impact, “We realized that the loss of fish and the loss of the river also caused cultural and social damage.”
“As fish were kept out of the river, as the quality of the river declined, people’s sense of connection with the river also declined,” he said.
St. Stephen resident Peter Brown, who attended a storytelling session on Saturday, shared his memories of sailing on the river in the summer.
Brown said he was always curious to know what the river would look like without the dam.
But Abbott said some people were also concerned about the dam because it was one of the first dams in Canada to generate electricity.
“We heard from people that there were concerns about heritage damage,” Abbott said.
She said storytelling sessions can help show people that they are still connected, and that there is a sense of connection even without the dam.
“My hope is that people will continue to love this river and continue to fight for it.”
