With spring coming to an end, so ends another annual run of alewives into our communities. Of course this isn’t an end point by any means. Soon millions of eggs will hatch in local ponds, juvenile fish will emerge and spend the summer feeding and growing, before leaving on an epic journey out into the open ocean, where they will feed our coastal ecosystems and in a few years, return home. This swimming connection between the sea and our communities did not go unnoticed this year. Around 15 local alewife committee members and volunteers spent hundreds of hours counting fish and taking scale samples in order to estimate the size of the run and document the health of the fish. And in the four years since the towns of Brooksville, Sedgwick, and Penobscot have been formally working together to steward and manage their fisheries, we’ve never seen so many fish. Between the three ponds that have alewives in the Bagaduce River Drainage, we estimate that over half a million fish returned in 2020! Volunteers, along with Maine DMR, also stocked the two remaining ponds that have hosted alewives in the past and where fishways will be restored over the next two years. This incredible example of shared ownership and responsibility for our fisheries truly is co-management. The three-town alewife committee and MCCF want to thank all of the volunteers and partners who are making this happen. See you next year, Alewives!

MCCF is excited to welcome new summer intern, Alexis Mullen, a rising sophomore at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Alexis has a few months before she has to declare a major, (she is leaning towards Earth and Oceanographic Sciences and Latin American studies), but until then, she will spend the summer interning in Stonington with guidance from the MCCF team and assisting with various projects.

Read more about Alexis and her summer plans in Stonington here.

Eastern Maine Skippers Program (EMSP) student, Gavin Eaton, an incoming sophomore at Deer Isle-Stonington High School, was recently awarded third place in a local competition. Gavin, who joined EMSP in September, was encouraged by his teachers to submit his class project to the Pioneer Prize, a software program competition for teenagers in the Blue Hill Peninsula and surrounding towns. With the guidance of Tom Duym, MCCF’s Fisheries Education Specialist, Gavin built a power plant consisting of a 48-volt electric motor and a cluster of four 12-volt batteries.

When asked about his experience, Gavin shared, “I was really surprised that I was selected as a winner. Most of the other kids did coding projects and created apps. So, I wasn’t sure my project would fit what the judges were looking for. It’s been a great experience! I’ve had a lot of fun and would definitely do it again.”

Due to the global pandemic and taking precautions for the safety of our community and staff, MCCF has spent the last few months brainstorming ways to connect with community members, summer visitors, supporters, and friends while we can't be together in person. We're excited to announce that our educational programming is now available online! This includes our annual Lunch & Learn talk series, which can be found on our YouTube channel and website (coming soon).

We're also excited to announce our new online series, Ask Leroy! You may remember Captain Leroy Weed, who could be found in our interactive center, Discovery Wharf, educating and entertaining guests. Each week Leroy will take questions from callers who want to learn more about commercial fishing in Maine. He'll also share some stories from his own on-the-water experiences. A new episode will be aired every Friday throughout the summer. You can catch the first episode here, which premiered last week. Don't forget to submit your questions by calling 224.58.LEROY (224.585.3769).