Easthampton marks 'World Fish Migration Day' at Manhan River fish ladder

EASTHAMPTON -- A once-controversial fish ladder on the Manhan River has been up and running for four years now, and species such as alewife, American shad, and sea lamprey are starting to make use of it.

However, it will still be a few years before significant migratory fish populations are established upstream of the Easthampton dam, wildlife officials said.

Over nearly a decade, critics lambasted the fish ladder proposal, which was beset with delays, litigation, and cost overruns before opening in 2014.

But Saturday morning, the mood was festive as officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service greeted visitors to mark World Fish Migration Day. Children and parents clambered down a steep bank to a metal viewing deck for an up-close look at the wood-and-concrete ladder and the red-rocked falls just east of Rt. 10.

"Over the next couple of weeks, we will see white suckers," said fish and wildlife biologist Melissa Grader, who showed live video of underwater activity on her laptop. "Then it will shift to American shad and alewife."

She said the actual numbers of anadromous fish passing the Manhan dam are still small, but that upstream stocking efforts won't show results right away. That's because young fish need several years to grow before they make the journey to the ocean, only to return in the spring to spawn in fresh water.

Any migratory fish that passes the Manhan dam previously climbed the much-larger fish lift at the Connecticut River hydro dam in Holyoke. More than a half-million shad were counted in Holyoke in 2017.

"This restoration effort benefits everyone," said fisheries biologist Ken Sprankle. "Restoring a complex ecosystem helps the overall health of our rivers."

As one example, he said, some migrating fish carry tiny mussels in their gills. The native mussels, when established, work to clean up the water.

Sprankle noted that a single Atlantic Salmon was observed at the Manhan Dam in 2014. He said while that's interesting, the federal scientists aren't really working to restore that species to the Connecticut River basin any more.

While not every parameter is known, Massachusetts is at the southern border of the species' habitat, Sprankle said, and with climate change, even that could change. Salmon are running within three Maine river basins -- the Penobscot, Androscogin, and Kennebec.

For years, the Easthampton fish ladder made local headlines. Initially funded with $750,000 in federal stimulus money, the project met design and construction delays, and even faced a lawsuit. The price tag ballooned to $1.35 million and was completed with more federal funding.

In the main stream of the Connecticut, shad make their way to Bellows Falls in Vermont after navigating downstream fishways, according to federal reports. As for tributaries, nearby fishways are located on the Farmington River in Connecticut and the Westfield River in West Springfield.

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