Arrowsic Fish Commission
Committee Members: Karen Robbins (Chair), Jeffrey Pinette, Jack Witham, Michael McMahon, Angelica Braestrup; alternates: Vince Capone, Wendy Van Dyke
Meetings are held the fourth Thursday January through June, the third Thursday in November and from time to time as projects dictate. If you are interested in learning more or would like to volunteer please contact Karen Robbins at karen.robbins@arrowsic.org.
About
In 2007, the people of Arrowsic began investing in restoring the island’s alewife population—moving towards balancing the Sewall Pond ecosystem and re-establishing Sewall Creek as a river herring run. They worked under the oversight of the Maine Division of Marine Resources, a collaboration that continues to this day. The Creek’s path had to be re-established and the obstacle of an old fishway removed. A unique culvert was designed to go under Rte 127 (video), allowing both wildlife and fish safe passage.
To collect the necessary data to support the project, a fish trap was designed to be placed on the Sewall Pond side of the culvert each spring after the run begins. Volunteers net out the fish, counting them as they release them into the pond—twice a day, every day, until the water gets too warm and the run peters out. The trap is pulled and the data (and scale samples) sent to DMR for analysis.
In 2023, Arrowsic held its first harvest in decades—a small number of fish were harvested—celebrating the success story that is Arrowsic’s Alewife Restoration Project. On June 13, 2023, the Town voted to establish the Arrowsic Fish Commission. The Select Board appointed the first five Commissioners: Angel Braestrup, Mike McMahon, Jeff Pinette, Karen Robbins and Jack Witham. Karen Robbins is serving as the first Fish Warden. They are working on planning for next year’s alewife run. This includes working with DMR to assess the health of the population and to study options for protecting fish passage through the creek below the culvert.
In addition, the Fish Commission works in close cooperation with the Conservation Commission to monitor the pond’s water quality and zooplankton populations. Understanding how many alewives Sewall Pond can support is important to assure a healthy pond ecosystem and determining what number of fish could be sustainably harvested..