A Youth’s Perspective on Fish Ladders
by Shayna Fleming
Did you know that out of the seven dams on the Presumpscot River, only 2 of them have fish passage? Although some dams are far too productive to remove, fish ladders are a solution that could benefit both the economy and the environment without compromising the electric power of the dams. In this article, I’ll be discussing why fish ladders need to be added to dams. As a young person, I realize that we’ll be the next generation and that we need to try to undo the mistakes of the past and present because if we don’t, there will be no next generation. Our voices are incredibly important. The earth will become uninhabitable, and we’re quickly approaching that point. It may only be a couple of decades away, possibly even only several years.
Not having fish ladders is obviously bad for the environment, as it could bring species to endangerment or even extinction, but fish ladders also benefit the economy. For starters, a decrease in fishery populations negatively impacts the fishing industry, which is important in Maine. In 2022, commercial Maine landings were worth $574,049,682. Not only do fish ladders positively impact the fish industry, but they can also become tourist attractions. The Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder attracts many people to watch as alewives swim through the many pools in the fish ladder. On damarascottamills.org, the website for the fish ladders, they sell T-shirts and hats. They also sell food at the fish ladder. There’s an event called “Run with the Alewives” in which participants run or walk 5 kilometers. Having more fish ladders and having them host similar events could greatly benefit the economy. Deb Wilson, who led the effort to restore the fish ladder said “We raised $1.2 million basically by selling hot dogs, lobster rolls and crab rolls, T-shirts and bean suppers, everybody was involved,” Of course, this money was raised to repair the fish ladders, and wouldn’t directly benefit the economy, but it takes a lot of people donating to raise over a million dollars. Many of those people probably also spent money in town at local businesses, bringing in additional economic benefits.
Dams block the paths of migratory fish, preventing them from being able to spawn, and hence, decreasing the population. Things that eat those fish will then struggle to find food, decreasing their population as well, which will continue up the food chain and eventually negatively impact many species both on land and in the water. Phosphorus is essential for plant life, however too much causes eutrophication. Eutrophication leads to lower dissolved oxygen levels and an influx of algae. Alewives consume algae, which can help prevent these issues. The most attractive thing about Maine is almost certainly the natural aspects. Maine is full of lakes and other bodies of water, and those who do visit and/or live in Maine love that about this state.
Nature won’t restore itself if humans continue to tarnish its beauty. Imagine if the lakes weren’t safe to swim in. Imagine living alongside a lake, and one day, you don’t wake up to the calls of loons because they died of starvation. Can you even imagine Maine without its magnificent nature? Do you really want that to be the future of Maine? We need to work together as one and do everything we can in our power so that migratory fish can swim upriver once again. If no one does anything, the fish will die and the water will be unsafe. We must realize the importance of what we have before it is gone.
Shayna Fleming is a sixth-grader at Falmouth Middle School.
