That first project soon became our groundbreaking Migratory Fisheries Restoration Initiative for the entire watershed, now one of CRWC's principal programs. The following is an overview of what we are doing and why.

The Problem
Imagine you're on the highway, heading home after a long trip, and you find a concrete barrier at your exit. You manage to get past, only to find barriers on each local road you come to, even your own driveway. If you do reach home, you're exhausted. That's what confronts migratory fish on most of our streams.

Three centuries of waterpower development have left a legacy of dams throughout the Connecticut River watershed. In addition to 16 hydroelectric dams on the main stem, there are over 1,000 dams on tributaries, the majority of which no longer serve their intended function - to generate waterpower for sawmills, grist mills and other industrial uses.

Each of these dams impairs the riverine ecology of a stream or river by impeding sediment and energy transfer, warming the water, and altering flows. Perhaps the most compelling impact of these dams is the barrier that they present to migratory fish seeking the spawning habitats that nature intended for them.

For most migratory fish, the spawning goal is a specific tributary location. They use the main river as we use the Interstate to get upstream, exiting at tributaries to get home.

As a result of federal license requirements, five of the 16 dams on the main stem have fishways - Holyoke, Turners Falls, Vernon, Bellows Falls and Wilder. They have also been installed at dams on major tributaries - the Salmon, Farmington, Westfield and Deerfield Rivers. The problem is the many tributary dams, which block the most desirable spawning habitats and where there are no requirements to provide fish passage.

The task is daunting. Most tributary dams are unregulated (except for dam safety) and privately owned. Making things more complex, there are often multiple dams, each with a different owner, blocking the way to the prime spawning habitat.

CRWC's Migratory Fisheries Restoration Initiative
The importance of migratory fish to the watershed ecosystem prompted a partnership in 1997 between the Council, the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (CT DEP).

CRWC took on the tasks of local coordination and project management, with our River Steward serving as "clerk of the works." The state and federal agencies provided technical and engineering support and financial assistance. Working together, we have overseen the installation of five fishways, and more are in the works.

For the first project, the Council was joined by several local partners, notably the Old Lyme Conservation Trust and the Town of Old Lyme, to plan and install a fishway at the Lower Mill Pond Dam on Mill Brook in Old Lyme, CT. The fishway was completed and opened in May 1998, and the next spring, thousands of migrating alewife were able to get around the mill dam to spawn in the pond and brook upstream for the first time in 320 years.

While each project is unique, a fishway typically takes a year's planning and 4-6 months for construction. Every project has involved and depended on numerous partners - town Selectboards, land trusts, volunteers and local contractors, the CT DEP Fisheries Division, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, public and private funders, and the Watershed Council.

Landowners are vital partners. These are voluntary projects that require a landowner allowing a fishway on his or her dam. Their willingness and generosity on every project have been overwhelming.

Success builds success, and enthusiasm. Our partners were eager to install new fishways and promote similar projects on other tributaries. Together, we upgraded an existing fishway on Joshua Creek, and installed two fishways on the East Branch of the Eightmile River. These fishways provide a boost to Atlantic salmon restoration since the Eightmile is a targeted river for restoration in that program.

Our fishery restoration efforts are not limited to the Lower Valley. CRWC is now working closely with federal, state and town officials, and local partners in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. We are developing projects to remove dams where possible, achieving more comprehensive river restoration, have worked on eelways and culvert replacements to enhance the fishery further.

Sharing the Vision
To promote the restoration of migratory fish species across New England, CRWC and the National Park Service developed a "how to" manual entitled A Fishway for Your Stream about fishways and their importance to anadromous fish in our river ecosystems. The US Fish and Wildlife Service and CT DEP assisted with the project by editing our work. A companion publication on removing dams has been funded by the USFWS Conte Refuge and the MA Riverways Program at the Division of Fish and Game and is in the works. These publications are available from the Council. For details, go to the CT River Shop.

Partnership, Knowledge & Experience
A number of federal and state agencies have made it possible for CRWC to carry out its Fisheries Restoration Initiative. They fund our restoration program (over $525,000 to date), provide guidance and expertise to the Initiative, and serve on the Council's Fisheries Restoration Task Force helping to identify and implement removal and fishway projects.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
National Park Service (NPS)
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
    Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge
    Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission (CRASC)
    Connecticut River Long Island Sound Ecosystem Team (CRLISET)
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (CT DEP)
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (MA DCR)
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NH DES)
Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VT DEC)

Special thanks goes to Steve Gephardt, Fisheries Biologist at CT DEP, for sending us on our way by helping CRWC on its very first project and successive projects in Connecticut; the Conte Refuge for providing five years of funding for our River Stewards who oversee each of our dam removals and fishway installations; NOAA which to date has provide $200,000 and countless hours of technical assistance in helping us plan and implement projects these complex projects in all four states; and Jan Rowan of the USFWS/CRLISET for her ongoing expertise and assistance.

Ocean Adventures educational outreach campaign

This regional collaboration is the outgrowth of a worldwide public awareness campaign.  A generation ago, Jacques-Yves Cousteau revealed the oceans’ mysteries to millions of landlocked PBS television viewers, and inspired a groundswell of public awareness of the unique problems faced by the world’s marine environments.  Now, 30 years later, Jacques’ son Jean-Michel Cousteau and his team of ‘oceanauts’ have set sail to explore dangerous and spectacular locales across the globe in Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures, a multi-part HDTV series that premiered in April and will continue throughout the upcoming months. 

You can also get to know our wet world in a whole new way by going to www.pbs.org/oceanadventures where you can explore interesting creatures and unique ecosystems.  Along the way you’ll pick up facts and figures about sea creatures large and small, get to know the expedition diving teams, and see video previews and underwater footage.  CRWC thanks WGBY for spearheading this partnership, you can visit them at www.wgby.org.