Herring Count an Important Part of Fisheries Restoration

Volunteer Katie Hone, pictured here at the Ipswich Mills fishway, has been an amazing asset for the Fish Count program.

River herring are remarkable fish that are often overlooked today for the important role they once played in the ecology and history of the Ipswich River. While once abundant in the Ipswich River, herring now only return in small numbers due to a series of dams and barriers, as well as low flows that block or limit passage to spawning ponds. Begun in 1999, the spring herring count is a citizen science program that we use to track the current status of the herring population. This program is one of the longest running counts in the region, where volunteers sign up for 10 minute times to watch the fish ladder and count however many herring they see. Many of the volunteers enjoy spending time by the river while contributing valuable data on this important fish.

The 2019 herring count was the 21st consecutive year of monitoring. The success of this program is due to the dedication and commitment of the many volunteers contributing their time and energy to making a difference for herring and other fish of the river. Taking place from April 1 to June 8, the 2019 herring count involved 40 volunteers performing a total of 345 counts. Volunteers sign up for 10 minute time slots between 7am and 7pm where they watch a viewing platform at the top of the fish ladder, next to the Ipswich Mills Dam. From these times, volunteers observed a total of 23 herring entering the river, which was converted to a total run size estimate of 350 fish. The run size estimates in 2017 and 2018 were 563 and 496, respectively. Herring were once an important food resource and harvested annually and according to a 1968 report by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), the Ipswich River annual herring catch was 350 barrels in 1825 or approximately 350,000 herring and in 1866 the catch was 1500 barrels or approximately 1.5 million herring!

River herring are a type of migratory fish, moving between the ocean and coastal rivers to reach spawning ponds in the spring. This life cycle makes them an important part of the food web for both systems. The conversion of Wenham Lake and other ponds to reservoirs, the presence of dams as well as low flows have blocked or limited passage of river herring to spawning areas, leading to the current state of the population. We are working with DMF to restock Hood Pond in Topsfield with river herring in hopes of reviving a local spawning population that will restore some of the river’s vitality. This project will require continued monitoring or river herring, water quality as well as restoration projects to improve fish passage.

This work is a great example of how citizen science programs are working to make a difference for the future of the Ipswich River. By working with volunteers, agencies and communities to improve fish passage, restore flows and protect water quality, river herring can once again thrive. You can help by participating in future herring counts, water quality monitoring and river cleanups as well as doing your part to keep clean water in the river through water conservation.

4 thoughts on “Herring Count an Important Part of Fisheries Restoration”

  1. Great article Ryan! Keep up the great work with volunteers and their citizen science. Some day , because of you efforts I believe we will have healthy river herring populations .

  2. i m in new zealand(east cape and hawke s bay)on wairoa river will be back to ipswich 20 april and would like to help with herring count or any other project thank you

  3. Great article Ryan. I’m looking forward to herring counting again this year and entering the herring count field data sheets into our computer program. See you Katie at our herring training session this month and resuming my volunteer time in the office with you and all the gang!
    Thank you for all that you do for IRWA.
    Arthur Towne

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