Deteriorating Connecticut River Fish Populations.

The Greater Northfield Watershed Association held its annual meeting on November 6th, 2011 in Northfield, Massachusetts featuring environmental journalist and author Karl Meyer’s lecture, Why No Fish??   

I had the opportunity to attend the meeting and learn more on the stresses imposed upon the Connecticut River’s migratory species—namely American Shad, Blueback Herring, and the protected Shortnose Sturgeon.

The Connecticut River is hurting.  With less than 2% of migrating American Shad successfully passing through the Turners Falls Dam annually, Karl Meyer refers to the 7 mile stretch of water upstream to the Northfield Mountain Reservoir as the dead zone.

In 1955 the Fish Passage at the Holyoke Dam began restoration efforts of the Connecticut River waterway in Western Massachusetts by restoring 40% of the American shad flow to the Turners Falls Dam. Several hundred thousand shad successfully transverse this passage annually yet only half of these fish reach the Turners Falls Dam some 40 miles upstream.  What causes this stretch of water to be so non-conducive to migratory species?

The Connecticut River is no longer a favorable environment for spawning sturgeon for three basic reasons: water flow (cfs), silt buildup, and the use of funds to restore the habitat.

Between the dams at Holyoke and Turners Falls there is an estimated 300-400 short-nose sturgeon—the only federally endangered freshwater fish in New England.  Over the past 14 years, shortnose sturgeon spawning has failed 28.6% at Cabot Station, and 78.6% at Rock Dam due to the canal’s strong discharge washing out the spawn and low water levels regulated by the Northfield Mountain Power Station restricting passage further upstream.  During the migration of sturgeon in the spring, the power company is required to maintain a minimum flow of 400cfs to promote spawning, lowering to a minimum of 125cfs post-migration.  In 2009 the Connecticut River flowed at just 120cfs for two months.  Without proper regulation of water flow the Connecticut River runs down to a trickle, severely damaging the populations of fish in the waterway.

In 2010, Northfield Mountain Station went offline for several months—at which time the Connecticut River at Vermont Yankee, upstream from the Turners Falls Dam, saw the highest numbers of migratory fish since 1995.  The higher water levels not only allowed fish passage upstream but also offered safe passage around the Turners Falls Canal and its destructive turbines.  Yet while the fish migrated successfully upstream, FirstLight Power Resources was causing other damage to the waterway, dumping an estimated 40-50 trucks of silt into the river daily for nearly three months—of which 1/3 has since been removed.  Silt not only decreases water clarity and quality, it builds up and chokes shallow areas.

In addition to silt build-up and low water levels / inadequate flow, the other major factor in the Connecticut River’s demise is of course financial.  During the Little Ice Age (16th-19th centuries) salmon were abundant in the river but have since gone extinct as the waterway has now become categorized as “warmwater”.    This past year, $10 million was invested in the re-introduction of this previously native species of salmon into the Connecticut River, but with little success.  A staggering 72 salmon passed through the Holyoke Dam this year.   Should our financial obligation to the Connecticut River Waterway be to revive an extinct species of salmon? or to sustain and promote the native species of shad, herring, and sturgeon struggling to survive and spawn in the river? 

Since 1999, with approximately 50% of Holyoke Dam’s fish making it as far as the Turners Falls Dam, an estimated 1,400,000 have turned around or expired at its gates.  In 2010, just 138 Blueback Herring passed through Holyoke—not one made it as far as the Turners Falls Dam.

While Karl Meyer’s lecture focused on migratory species, the factors of poor water levels and flows, silt, and use of funds affects non-migratory species as well.   And as less fish successfully pass through the Turners Falls Fish Ladder, the food supply for those upstream is also restricted.  It is imperative to preserve the quality of our waterways and to promote a healthy environment for fish to spawn. 

For more information on this subject or to follow up on the work of Karl Meyer visit: http://www.karlmeyerwriting.com/blog/

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