A NOAA-funded project on the Upper Coonamessett River in Falmouth, Massachusetts, will remove fish passage barriers and restore wetlands on a former cranberry bog. This work complements earlier NOAA-funded work on the lower part of the river.
Funding to remove the Rockafellows Mill Dam in New Jersey is part of a long-term effort to bring shad and other native fish back to spawning grounds which have been blocked for almost 200 years.
An international partnership led by the Passamaquoddy Tribe will improve access to 600 miles and 60,000 acres of habitat to alewives and other sea-run fish. The work could result in the return of 80 million adult spawning alewives.
Forty-six projects will reopen migratory pathways, restore access to healthy habitat for fish, and build tribal capacity to develop and implement fish passage projects.
NOAA Marine Habitat Resource Specialist Eric Hutchins stands out for his nearly 40 years of service and tireless efforts to restore migratory fish populations in New England.
In the years since NOAA and partners removed Bloede Dam, monitoring has found evidence of alewife and blueback herring using the reopened habitat on the Patapsco River.
NOAA Fisheries has developed an Atlantic Coast habitat conservation plan for river herring. It addresses threats, data gaps, and recommendations to benefit these species at a coastwide level.
Salmon, river herring, and other migratory fish species continue to benefit from habitat restoration projects funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.