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CONCORD, N.H. -- It^s been a good year for sea-running fish that return to the Merrimack River to spawn. American shad returned in record numbers this year, and Atlantic salmon and river herring also showed up in good numbers, according to Jon Greenwood, coordinator of the Merrimack River Anadromous Fish Restoration Program. "This is encouraging news," Greenwood said. "These returns are a sign of progress by utilities, resource agencies, and conservation organizations. They^re all helping to restore sea-running fish to the Merrimack River. The numbers have gone a long way from the 5,000 that returned when the fishway was built in 1984." The first dam on the Merrimack River is in Lawrence, Mass., where a record 56,465 American shad passed through the Essex Fish Lift during the spring and summer spawning season. Of those, 16,347 shad passed the next dam -- the Lowell (Mass.) Fish Passage Facility, also a record number for the program. The next best year for American shad returns was in 1998, when 27,891 passed the Lawrence fishway. "We think that some of the reason for this year^s excellent shad returns may be due to recent modifications to the upstream facilities at Lawrence and Lowell," Greenwood said. "Fishway redesigns based on ongoing studies by consultants and the utility (Consolidated Hydro) have made the upstream passages more efficient." The other reason may be better survival rates for shad that spawned in the Merrimack River three to five years ago, he said. Many of those fish survived at sea and were able to return to the Merrimack River, Greenwood said. "It^s really important to have efficient fish passage at these fishways in order to allow the population of spawning shad to expand their range upstream in New Hampshire^s waters," Greenwood says. "And it looks like we^ve got a building shad population now," he said. "It^s got some strength to it." Atlantic salmon made the best return to the Merrimack River since 1992. This year 190 Atlantic salmon have returned, many of which were stocked as fry in 1994 and 1995. More salmon are expected when the fishway opens for the fall season. This year^s return is a boost for the program as Atlantic salmon returns to the Merrimack and other New England rivers during the past five years have been disappointingly low. "We^re also encouraged by the better river herring returns (7,898)," Greenwood said. "The big picture looks good for anadromous fish," Greenwood said. "Utilities, such as Public Service of New Hampshire, are making positive strides in providing downstream passage for sea-running fish." PSNH has recently completed downstream passage improvements to its hydro facilities at Ayers Island in Bristol and Eastman Falls in Franklin, and has nearly finished a major downstream passage facility at Garvins Falls in Bow. These improvements will allow more young salmon, shad and herring to make a safe journey from their freshwater nursery habitats to the ocean each year.

Uploaded: 9/11/1999