Good afternoon Governor LePage and Commissioners Olsen and Woodcock –

Yesterday I was speaking with Jeffrey Pierce, Executive Director of the Alewife Harvesters of Maine.

We work closely together on issues associated with the management of river herring species through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

He explained that he had met with all of you earlier this week, advocating for the introduction of alewife in the upper reaches of the St. Croix watershed.

As a representative of Atlantic herring and Atlantic mackerel seiners and mid-water trawlers, organized as the Sustainable Fisheries Coalition, who occasionally interact with river herring species at sea, I wrote to the International Board last summer, supporting the position that the AHM outlined to you in your meeting. The letter is attached, for your information.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can provide additional information. I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you, to discuss the issues involved, at your convenience.

Thank you.

Best regards,

Jeff Kaelin
Government Relations, Lund’s Fisheries, Inc.
Clerk, Sustainable Fisheries Coalition
Winterport, Maine

On behalf of the fishermen and plant employees of the Atlantic herring and mackerel companies organized as the Sustainable Fisheries Coalition
SFC to Int St Croix River Board re Alewife restoration 08 16 10

Landis Hudson – Maine Rivers writes with some interesting history.
Hall et al 2010[1] Landscape Ecology
— Carolyn Hall doesn’t get much into the St Croix, but she mentions research done by a Canadian researcher, Heike Lotze. I got Lotze’s work and read it over the summer, she’s going to scan and send me a 2000 report from the St Croix Commission that she used.
Watts St.Croix REPORT
I also have a report that Doug Watts wrote, looking at the early history and petitions from settlers in Baileyville, Baring and Calais complaining bitterly about impassable dams. I imagine people like Lance Wheaton saw this document five years ago
Thanks Landis

St. Andrews, NB… A meeting of the International Joint Commission (IJC) St. Croix River Watershed Board, held June 29, was very disappointing to a coalition of 50 organizations. The coalition petitioned the IJC two years ago to open up the Grand Falls fishway to allow native alewives access to a majority of their historic spawning grounds but a decision has yet to be reached.
Passage of alewives in this international boundary river has been blocked since 1995 when a small lobby of smallmouth bass fishermen convinced the Maine State Legislature that alewives were causing a decline in the non-native bass populations. Despite the fact that this opinion defied all scientific advice, the State of Maine acted quickly to close the fishway at Grand Falls. Attempts to provide rational arguments to reverse this decision have failed.
Atlantic Salmon Federation Speaks Out [Read More]

Interesting article and alewife history video of ST. Croix. Presented by CBC Canada website.
Read Article and watch video

By this letter, Friends of Merrymeeting Bay [FOMB] request you invoke your authority as Regional EPA Administrator to review the changes in Maine water quality standards and designated uses of the St. Croix River made by te Maine Legislature in 1995 and 2008. FOMB request you determine if these changes are in compliance with the U.S. Clean Water Act [CWA]. These laws have never been reviewed or approved by the US EPA for comformance and compliance with the Clean Water Act…….
FOMB EPA St Croix Letter 7-19-10

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servicc(Service) appreciates the opportunity to review the Proposal for Discussion, adaptive plan for managing alewife in the St. Croix River Watershed, Maine, and New Brunswick, dated April 23, 2010. Since 1995, the Service has supported the restoration of native diadromous fish, including alewife, blueback herring. and the American eel, to the watershed. Restoring these species to historic habitat in the Gulf of Maine is a priority for the Service. Providing unrestricted free passage of alewife to the St. Croix River watershed will contribute significantly toward this goal………..
2010-07-19 USFWS letter to IJC

Thank you for your letter from June 0, 2010 conveying the recent draft of the Adaptive Management Plan for Managing Alewife in the St. Croix River Watershed, Maine and New Brunswick (the plan). For these reasons explained below, we request that the IJC utilize its authority to prevent further declines and to facilitate recovery of depleted river herring by requiring free and open access for these species in the St. Croix River………
2010-07-26 NOAA letter to IJC

I am pleased to submit the comments on the following pages on the IJC’s Adaptive Management Plan for Managing Alewife in the St Croix River Watershed. EDF has a long history of work to conserve and restore alewife populations and fisheries. Our efforts have included state- and place- based fish passage, watershed management, habitat protection and fisheries management projects, as well as regional and coast-wide initiatives involving the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), and Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP)……….
EDF comments on IJC alewife plan July 2010