Due to the near drought conditions, the water level at Middle Pond is below what is needed to run the sluiceway [it is dry, with no water at all even approaching the control gate].

The outbound migration of the juveniles, which should have started by now, will have to be delayed until an adequate supply of water is available.

The herring run at Middle Pond was closed on May 15, 2002 after it was determined that no additional herring were migrating into the pond. While the situation will be closely watched, it is unlikely it will be opened again. Daily monitoring at the herring run at Mill Pond over the last several days has indicated that there are no fish in the ladder in that area.

At their next meeting, the Marstons Mills River Committee will discuss when it should be opened again which would be to allow the juveniles to emigrate, and that would be some time later in the summer / early fall.

On May 10, 2002, hundreds of juveniles were seen in Mill Pond in just a small observation area [about 50 feet of shallow shoreline] indicating that the herring are spawning in either the Mill Pond itself and/or in the river area just above it.

Developing a clearer understanding of which species are migrating to which areas is important to preparing an effective management plan and the committee will discuss consulting with an expert on these matters as they work towards developing this plan.

The sluiceway at Middle Pond was reopened on May 6th after a sufficient number of fish where detected in the river. Doug Kalweit, Supervisor of the Barnstable Natural Resources Division, is closely watching the situation and will open and close the run as warranted.

It was agreed in the April 22, 2002 meeting of the Marstons Mills River Committee that Doug would be the individual responsible for making this determination.

With the majority of the herring having migrated up to Middle Pond and with an eye towards preserving water levels in the pond, the sluiceway at the pond was closed temporarily on May 1st. The situation will be monitored on a daily basis over the next few weeks and if sufficient herring are observed the run will be reopen to allow their passage.

While considered a very good run, much can to be done to improve this in coming years: from enhancing the in-flow from Middle Pond, cleaning the Marstons Mills River, removing silt and debris at problem locations, to developing a long-term plan for the sluiceway, etc.

Thanks to all who have contributed their time and hard work to make this a success!

~~~~~~~ April 22, 2002 ~ at the Marstons Mills River Committee meeting ~~~~~~~

The members of the Marstons Mills River Committee, at their meeting on April 22nd, agreed that the migration so far this year has been a great success! While Charlie Thifault reports that the sluiceway at Middle Pond is "barely operating", there is a good volume of herring in all areas of the run and juveniles are easily seen in Middle Pond.

Since herring return to where there were born at the age of three or four years, the success in 2002 is a credit to those who have worked in the past to make certain this migration could occur. It also inspires all of us about the importance of the work that we do today to insure that migrations can continue in the future.

Why don't you get involved in preserving and protecting the Marstons Mills River? The Liberty Hall Club is looking for volunteers to assist in many aspects of this endeavor, and any and all help is always welcome and greatly appreciated ~ even if you could give only a few hours a year!

There are two ladders at the Mill Pond: a larger one located at the viewing area and a smaller one about 100 feet to the right. The Marstons Mills River forks here at these ladders, with the larger fork flowing diagonally under Route 149 and 28, the smaller under Route 149 and then under Route 28 about 500 feet to the east.

Peter Ecreg reported to members of the Liberty Hall Club that the smaller ladder had broken free. The herring were trapped in a small pool, and being unable to leap the 24 inches or so over the dam into the Mill Pond, were exhausting themselves and dying.

On Saturday, April 13 members of the Liberty Hall Club made an emergency temporary replacement to this ladder and as the last nail was driven, the herring immediately started using it.

This situation will be closely monitored during the run and the ladder will be replaced soon.

The very first sign was the slow circling of gulls over the Mill Pond on Tuesday, April 9th. Most folks wouldn't think anything of it, but the gulls come to the pond only on special occasions and their arrival on that day foretold the start of the run ~ as they probably have every spring for thousands of years.

They come for just one reason, and it isn't to peer into the run like so many people do, partaking in that ritual of spring. No, instead of pointing and shouting "Look, over here!" they instead congregate where the Marstons Mills River enters the Mill Pond, for they know the water is shallow there and that the herring will swim right by them. No, the gulls didn't come to look, they came for lunch...

The temperatures had been cool for the last week and when they rose early in the week of April 8th, one of those magically things in nature happened and the herring starting migrating. Just a trickle at first, then hundreds and hundreds and eventually thousands, making their journey from the sea, through the Mill Pond, and up the Marstons Mills River to Middle Pond.

River Herring are anadromous, which means they migrate from the sea to fresh water to breed.

At Middle Pond, the eggs and sperm are broadcast simultaneously in the sandy bottom of the pond with each female leaving 60,000 to 100,000 eggs. Immediately after, the adults will leave, swimming down the river and back out to sea again.

The young (called juveniles) remain in the pond and most of them will also leave throughout the summer and fall. Some will spend the winter in the pond, however, then leaving next year.

Once out to sea, they may travel hundreds if not thousands of miles, only to return several years later to where they were born, to perpetuate the cycle.

Members of the Marstons Mills Village Association and the Liberty Hall Club spent a snowy Saturday morning preparing the herring run at Middle Pond.

The floor of the run was leveled in several places and leaves and other debris was removed. The Department of Natural Resources will replace several broken boards in the coming week.

Over the winter, the Marstons Mills River Committee met several times to address issues related to managing all aspects of the river and its tributaries. The progress and findings of this committee will be published here soon.