Milford fish lift records provisional count of 5,852,487 river herring

Maine's Department of Marine Resources recorded a provisional count of 5,852,487 river herring at the Milford fish lift by October 12, 2026. The Great Works Dam and the Veazie Dam were removed in 2012 and 2013 as part of the Penobscot River Restoration Project, reopening around 15 kilometres of the river's main channel.

The project also included improvements to fish passage at remaining barriers, including a fish lift at Milford Dam that helps migratory fish move upstream. It aimed to address barriers to fish movement without abandoning hydropower altogether.

River herring include alewives and blueback herring, which travel from the sea into freshwater rivers to reproduce. A 2023 study found that annual river herring counts averaged 556 fish between 1978 and 2012, when dams heavily restricted access to the river.

A 2023 study published in Marine and Coastal Fisheries found the most pronounced changes in fish community composition in sections previously held back by dams. River-dwelling and migratory species became more prevalent there, although different species responded differently to the restoration.