Every year the Turners Falls Cabot Station drains their canal for maintenance purposes, which leaves thousands of juvenile sea lampreys and other fish stranded without water and exposed to harsh elements. Connecticut River Conservancy organizes volunteers to find and rescue as many as possible. Thanks to the 30 volunteers who joined us this year, the results of 2024's sea lamprey rescue were the following:
1,000 juveniles (transformers)
2,000 larvae (ammocoetes)
500-1,000 other fish species
A very impactful outcome in just a few hours!
CRC partnered with the USGS S.O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research Laboratory to rescue larval and juvenile sea lamprey in coordination with FirstLight Power (owners of the hydropower facility). Some of the ammocoetes and juveniles were taken to the Conte Lab for research while others were released below the dam after the event to continue on their journey. This effort will support ongoing migratory fish research for sea lamprey, as well as conservation science and advocacy in the Connecticut River watershed.
Sea lamprey are an important native, migratory fish of the Connecticut River. Our local sea lamprey are not invasive in the Connecticut River like they are in the Great Lakes. Adult sea lamprey migrate up the Connecticut River and tributaries from the ocean every year to spawn (reproduce). Once they've reached the ideal habitat to lay their eggs (shallow moving water with rocks they can move to build their nests), their lifecycle comes to an end, leaving a carcass full of rich nutrients our ecosystem thrives on. The lamprey babies, called ammocoetes, grow in our freshwater systems and take 4 to 5 years to migrate to the ocean and grow into adults. It is at this stage when the ammocoetes and juveniles begin to move downstream that some of them end up in the canal.
Volunteers play a crucial role in supporting the life of this species, both through nest surveys in the spring, and with the sea lamprey rescue in early fall.
It is also worth noting that unnatural infrastructure and hydropower facility operations create these issues for migratory fish in the first place. FirstLight, the company that owns the power canal, currently has no legal responsibility to rescue any of the thousands of fish that die while they drain the canal for maintenance, nor do they have any financial responsibility to support our rescue efforts. This is why Connecticut River Conservancy is actively engaged in the hydropower relicensing process to ensure that the new license better protects our rivers, habitats, and communities.
You can learn more at migratoryfish.org, and sign up for our newsletters to be alerted the next time there are volunteer opportunities for community science.
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