DV-18-02 Bagaduce Estuary fish population surveys

Bailey Bowden
Town of Penobscot Alewife Committee
Penobscot, ME

The Bagaduce River Estuary is the focus of a watershed-wide effort to restore passage for sea-run fish and enhance ecosystem integrity, including participation in the SEANET project and NOAA’s Habitat Blueprint. The effort is led by the Town of Penobscot with support from Sedgwick and Brooksville, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Blue Hill Heritage Trust, Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries, and The Nature Conservancy. Local leadership has resulted in municipal support for restoration as well as a broader view when considering policies related to aquaculture, shellfish harvesting, and water quality.

Previous Sea Grant funds supported the purchase of monitoring equipment and outreach materials. Additional funds have been awarded for the purchase of a beach seine net to sample juvenile river herring and other fish in shallow areas of the estuary and a small purse seine net to sample fish in ponds with restored fishways. Analysis of samples is being conducted by University of California Santa Cruz and Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries. The results will provide valuable information on the success of restoration efforts.

Sea Grant funds: $2,000