Alewives Anonymous, Inc.

Rochester, Marion, Mattapoisett Massachusetts

Alewives, or herring, are a main food fish for many oceanic fish and also for

whales.  Lobstermen utilize herring as bait in their lobster pots.

Herring, being smoked or salted, were a staple of the early settlers of our region.

Current day human consumption of river herring is mainly the roe (eggs). 

Alewives Anonymous was founded in November of 1984 by William David  Watling, then the Town of Rochester Herring Inspector.

The Incorporators were:

     Gibbs Bray                        Marion

     Hoyle DeMoranville          Rochester

     Arthur Lionberger             Rochester

     Elmont Locke                   Rochester

     William Watling                Rochester

They incorporated as Alewives Anonymous, Inc., to encourage, promote, and support efforts to preserve and increase the alewife fishery resources in the

Mattapoisett and Sippican Rivers in the towns of Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester, Massachusetts.

The goals of Alewives Anonymous, Inc. are:

     To educate the general public as to the importance of the alewife fishery

     resources and as to general environmental conditions of the Mattapoisett

     and Sippican Rivers.

     To support scientific research directed towards preserving and increasing the

     alewife and other anadromous fish resources. (Anadromous fish are fish

     which migrate up rivers from the sea to spawn in fresh water.)

     To receive contributions & grants, and to raise money by the sale of goods; all

     contributions, income and proceeds to be applied to the exempt purposes of

     this Organization as described in the Internal Revenue Code Sec. 501(c)(3)

     as now in force or hereafter amended.

In recognition of the efforts made toward achieving these goals, on April 29, 1999, at the Annual Meeting of The Coalition for Buzzards Bay, Alewives Anonymous, Inc. was presented the Guardian Award by Mark Rasmussn, Executive Director.

On Earth Day, April 22, 1993, Paul Keough, Acting Regional Administration, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 1, presented the Environmental Merit Award to Alewives Anonymous founder/organizer and then President William Watling, “in recognition of Demonstrated Commitment and Significant Contributions to the Environment”.

Sportsmen, fishermen and environmentally concerned individuals and organizations are invited to become members to support the on-going activities by means of annual dues and/or directly participating in the various projects. The Board of Directors meets monthly (except July and August) and interested persons are invited to attend.  The Annual Meeting is held on the last Sunday in April and features a chowder supper, a guest speaker, a recap of the past year and election of Board members.

Alewives Anonymous, Inc. has spear-headed projects such as the dredging of a section on the Mattapoisett River from the outflow of Snipatuit Pond to Snipatuit Road, replacing the culverts at Snipatuit Road, and the construction of a permanent fish ladder at the Herring Weir in Mattapoisett.

The Organization has, over the years (and continues to do so) cleared the Mattapoisett and Sippican Rivers of blow downs, brush, debris and obstructions, utilizing volunteer help to do so with equipment (canoes, power chain saws, brush cutters, hedge trimmers, winches and various hand tools) provided by the organization.

President Arthur Benner extends an invitation to all sports fishermen and others to assist the Organization in maintaining open passage in the two rivers. This will ease the herring's journey, thereby increasing the number of fish able to make it to the spawning grounds in the two ponds.

  There are two fish ladders located in the Mattapoisett River, which flows from Rochester to Mattapoisett.

The first one the herring encounter is in Mattapoisett at the Herring Weir, Route 6 and River Road. This a Denil type ladder of concrete construction that facilitates the herrings transition from the ocean salt water into the fresh water of the River, an elevation difference of about four feet.

The other ladder is in Rochester, approximately twelve miles upstream from the first ladder, at the headwaters of the Mattapoisett River where the herring reach their destination and make the final transition from the River into Snipatuit Pond where they spawn.  This ladder is a traditional concrete sluice way with planks to create steps for the herring to climb the two to three feet in elevation difference between the River and Pond

There are also two fish ladders on the Sippican River, which flows from Rochester to Marion, joining the Weweantic before reaching the ocean.

The first one that the herring encounter is in Rochester at Hathaway’s Pond dam, a former mill site, approximately two or three miles from the ocean. This ladder is a traditional concrete sluice way with planks to create steps for the herring to climb the three to four feet in elevation difference between the River and Pond, the final thirty feet being an enclosed ‘tunnel’ under a road way.

The other fish ladder, also in Rochester, is approximately two more miles upstream where the herring reach their destination and make the final transition from the River into Leonard’s Pond where they spawn.  This a Denil type ladder of wood construction that facilitates the herrings transition from the River into the Pond, an elevation difference of about four feet to five feet.

 In 1883, the weirs on the Mattapoisett River produced an income of $3,214.00

while our school costs were $3,516.00.  Wouldn't it be great if the sale of

herring could support our current school costs?

Historical data from the Marion Town Reports provides the following harvest data: 

            1906 – 626,000 fish were caught

            1907 – 465,000 fish were caught

The quantity of fish harvested has declined steadily since the early part of the twentieth century.

Alewives Anonymous, Inc. has purchased two electronic fish counters to tally the number of herring entering Snipatuit Pond and Leonard's Pond.

Over the years, due to constant cleaning of the rivers and the limiting of fish caught at the Mattapoisett Herring Weir to 50 bushels per season, the number of herring entering the spawning areas had increased from 40,000 in 1989, the first year of electronic counting, to over 130,000 in 2000

In 1996 Alewives Anonymous established an objective of 500,000 herring entering Snipatuit Pond to spawn within eight years (by 2004). It appeared that objective might be realized if the increases in the herring population continued as they were through 2001.

The number of herring reaching the Snipatuit Pond spawning area as of the close of the year 2000's migration was over 130,000. This represented an increase of almost 23,000 over the 1999 migration and 90,000 since the electronic counting was initiated. 

Adverse conditions during the 2001 season resulted in incomplete counts (just under 77,000) but visual observation of the fish migration left us feeling optimistic that the numbers of herring completing the migration were similar to 2000.

The 2002 counting season was very discouraging.  Weather and water conditions were ideal and the counting equipment appeared to be functioning as expected, however the count for the year, just under 50,000, was considerably lower than the previous year and about 80,000 lower than 2000.

On three different occasions during the 2002 herring season, live herring from the Mattapoisett River were transported to Leonard's Pond in an effort to increase the population in the Sippican River run. Just under nine hundred herring were relocated to the pond. The adults will go back to the Mattapoisett River the following year and the herring hatched should return to the Sippican River. It takes three or four years before a current year's spawn will mature and return to their spawning area as adults. As the Sippican River has now been cleared from Leonard's Pond in Rochester to County Road in Marion, we can expect a better passage for the herring in the future.

The 2003 herring season count from the Mattapoisett River run of 24,795 was very disheartening.  It is less than one half of the previous year's count of 49,984. The 2003 total is down by more than eighty percent as compared to the highest count recorded (year 2000).  It is also significantly lower than the first year of electronic counting; 1989, count was 39,936.

We feel that the electronic counter has functioned properly and other conditions for counting both in 2002 and 2003, were ideal.  Visual observations for both years also confirms the low volume of fish.  No explanations have been forthcoming for the decreasing herring counts for the Mattapoisett River run and other herring runs that have also experienced decreases.

The 2004 electronic count from the Mattapoisett River run was 2,645 herring.  Due to high water conditions for part of the counting season, one of the bays at the outflow of Snipatuit Pond was open permitting the herring to enter the pond without going through the counter tube. We estimated that some 2,000 to 2,500 herring were not counted. Combining the actual count with the estimate of herring that bypassed the counter, results in a total of approximately 5,000.  The electronic counter at the Mattapoisett Herring Weir recorded 5,385 herring.  As we have seen in the past three years, this is again a significant decrease from the prior year’s count. This year’s count is barely twenty percent of last year’s 24,795 count and is down by more that ninety-five percent as compared to the highest count recorded (year 2000) of 130,296.

Other herring runs in the area have also seen decreases but none to the degree we have seen in the Mattapoisett River. No herring were caught at the Mattapoisett Weir in 2004 as per the policy set at the Annual Herring Inspectors meeting.

The 2005 counting results were a bit more positive than any of the previous several years.

After a later than usual install due to cold weather and ice, conditions were ideal for operation of the electronic counter for the remainder of the counting season.  We have estimated that approximately 1,500 to 1,600 herring entered Snipatuit Pond before the counter was installed.  This year's electronic count of herring from the Mattapoisett River at Snipatuit Pond was 6,417 herring and when combined with the estimate results in a total of about 8,000 herring.  The 2005 count is approximately three thousand more herring than last years count.  Though still very low in comparison to the highest count recorded  of 130,296 in 2000, it is the first year of an increase in the last four years.

No herring were caught at the Mattapoisett Weir in 2005 as per the policy set at the Annual Herring Inspectors meeting.

The 2006 count of herring from the Mattapoisett River was 6,258. This total includes a few days that were estimated due to air or obstructions in the counting tube resulting in unrealistic counts for the day. The 2006 count is approximately 1,750 fewer herring than last years estimated count of 8,000.  Though still very low in comparison to the highest count recorded in 2000 of 130,296, it is consistent with the past couple of years.  The count is also within approximately 200 fish of that recorded by the Tri-Town Herring Committee’s electronic counter at the Herring Weir in Mattapoisett.  No herring were caught at the Mattapoisett Weir in 2006.

In past years, Alewives Anonymous, Inc. has also recorded the herring counts on the Sippican River at Leonard's Pond, but because of changing conditions of the dam and fish ladder and the high water conditions for most of Spring, the electronic counter was not installed there in 2003, 2004 or 2005.

The dam on the Sippican River at Leonard’s Pond was replaced in December of 2005.  The counter was installed this Spring. The count of herring on the Sippican River was 89 for 2006.  Visually, many more fish were observed than were counted. The replacement of the dam changed the setup of the counter and often high water levels permitted the fish to swim over the counting tube instead of through it.

The 2007 herring season count on the Mattapoisett River shows little change from the previous year. The year's electronic count of herring was 6,011. Though there were periods of time with very high water, counting conditions remained ideal and it was not necessary to include any estimate counts this year. The 2007 count is approximately 250 fewer herring than last years estimated count of 6,258.  Though still very low in comparison to the highest count recorded in 2000 of 130,296, it is consistent with the past several years.

An electronic counter was not setup on the Sippican River at Leonard’s Pond for 2007 due to the high water.  Also, the replacement of the dam changed the setup for the installation and additional alterations to the counter setup will be required for accurate counting. Further adjustments will be made for next year.

2007 was the second year of a three year ban on the catching or possession of herring instituted by Massachusetts and our neighboring States. We’re hopeful that this will help the herring populations to recover but it will take a few years before results are seen.

The 2008 electronic count of herring from the Mattapoisett River was 9,987. Counting conditions were ideal for the majority of the season but due to a failure of the counter it was necessary to include several days of estimate counts while a replacement counter was set up. The 2008 count is an increase of almost 4,000 herring over last year’s count of 6,011.  Though still very low in comparison to the highest count recorded in 2000 of 130,296, the increase of approximately 66 percent is very positive.

An electronic counter was not set up on the Sippican River at Leonard’s Pond during 2008 because it was used to replace the failed counter for the Mattapoisett River at Snipatuit Pond. 

2008 was the last year of a three year ban on catching or possession of herring instituted by Massachusetts and our neighboring States. We’re hopeful that the moratorium will be extended in order to help the herring populations to continue the recovery we’re starting to see.

The President of Alewives Anonymous, Inc. is:

Arthur F. Benner, phone (508) 763-2024

       email address:  artbenner@comcast.net

Feel free to contact President Benner for further information about Alewives

Anonymous, Inc. or mail inquires to Post Office Box 42, Rochester, MA, 02770.

                                             Updated 07/28/2008