Triggered by warming waters, the annual migration of river herring from Nantucket Sound, along Dead Neck Sampson’s Island, through the Three Bays estuary, and up the Marstons Mills River is a sure sign spring has arrived on Cape Cod.

BCWC will once again oversee the herring counts along the Marstons Mills River at the Mill Pond and Middle Pond fish ladders with the help of our amazing team of volunteers and the Barnstable Department of Natural Resources.

We have revised the 2021 monitoring protocols to address the safety issues related to COVID. All you will need this year to count herring on their spawning run upriver is yourself, a mask, access to a computer and a positive attitude.

If you want to join this exciting citizen science program collecting data from April 1st thru June 1st for State fisheries scientists, please email info@bcleanwater.org or call 508.420.0780 for more information.

Did You Know?

There are two species of river herring, alewives and bluebacks, and more than 40 herring runs on Cape Cod where you can view the springtime ritual of herring swimming upriver to their spawning grounds. Read more about river herring under the What We Do – Monitor section of our website.