Did you know that there are two dams on the Royal River in Yarmouth within a mile of the head of tide that block fish passage to the entire 141-square mile watershed?
Both dams were purchased by the town of Yarmouth in the 1970s for a dollar each. The Bridge Street dam stopped producing power about 2015 and the turbines have been removed. The last known commercial use of the Elm Street dam was in the late 1950s to flush chicken processing waste into the river. Neither dam has operable fish passage.
While the Yarmouth rapids may seem steep to us, with millions of years of evolution, they are not much of an obstacle to sea-run fish. In 1834, the people of what is now Yarmouth submitted a bill to the legislature requiring fish passage at all dams constructed in town and stated sea-run fish harvesting rights. Though the bill passed, due to the influence of growing industries that used the dams, the bill was not enforced. By the mid-1800s, as noted in the 1887 U.S. Fisheries Commission census, the migration of sea-run fish, including that of the Atlantic salmon, had ceased.
With the two small Yarmouth dams removed, or fish passage installed, sea-run fish could access 90% of the watershed. A recent analysis by U.S. Fish & Wildlife service estimated that the Royal River can support about 30,000 shad and 60,000 river herring. Each female shad produces about 300,000 spawn. With a modest reworking of a dam at Runaround Pond, about 23,000 alewives could be supported. The total weight of these fish would be about 200,000 pounds.
The fish would migrate upriver in April and May, spawn, and return to the ocean within a few weeks. While in the river, the adult shad at 16 to 30-inches weigh 4 to 7 pounds and are strong to a fly, with reports of more than 20 being caught in two hours on the Kennebec. Juvenile and adult shad live in the Gulf of Maine, feeding primarily on plankton and are preyed upon by mackerel, stripers and tuna.
In the next few weeks, the Yarmouth Town Council will be debating the study and removal of these two dams or providing fish passage that costs about three times as much. To learn more, visit the Royal River Alliance website, www.royalriveralliance.org.
Carl Wilcox is co-chairperson of the Royal River Alliance and a professional engineer. He lives in New Gloucester, within the Royal River watershed.
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