Anadromous Fish Restoration Program

Anadromous fish are sea-running fish, such as Atlantic salmon, herring and shad, which swim up rivers to spawn in fresh water. New Hampshire has three major anadromous fish restoration programs -- the Merrimack River restoration, the Connecticut River restoration and the Marine Division's coastal restoration program.

Merrimack Restoration Efforts
The Merrimack River Anadromous Fish Restoration Program began in 1969 as a cooperative effort of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Forest Service. In addition to Atlantic salmon -- a native fish that was absent from the Merrimack River for a hundred years -- the restoration program includes American shad and river herring, both of which are again returning to the Merrimack to spawn.

For more information on the Merrimack River Restoration Program -- as well as to find links to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and other Atlantic salmon info, click here.

Bringing Back the Shad
In 1979 pre-spawn American shad were trucked from the Massachusetts Holyoke Fishway on the Connecticut River to the Merrimack River in New Hampshire as part of the restoration process. when the Essex Fishway at Lawrence (Mass.) was completed in 1982, the program began transporting shad from that facility. The Merrimack River shad restoration effort has been successful, with the number of shad returning to the Lawrence fishway steadily increased from several thousand in the early 1980s to a high of 72,000 fish in 2000. Recently, the shad runs have declined, in part because of two years of spring floods. Another challenge is upstream fishway passage; unfortunately, only about 10 percent of the shad that pass Lawrence move upriver past the Lowell (Mass.) Fishway.

Lowell is the last barrier to shad being able to migrate upriver into miles of spawning habitat in New Hampshire waters. Until the problem with passage at the Lowell Fishway can be resolved, transporting pre-spawn shad by truck is one of the few options for moving fish upriver to expand the population. Surveys indicate that the habitat above Lowell in the Merrimack River basin in New Hampshire could support a run of one million shad annually. N.H. Fish and Game's objective is to transport shad to the Manchester and Hooksett areas, and above the Garvins Falls Dam in Bow, and develop a strong run of shad in the river.

A shad fishery in New Hampshire similar to those in the Connecticut and Hudson river fisheries would enhance fishing opportunities, increase license sales and benefit the local economy, at the same time it restores a native fish.

Connecticut River Restoration
N.H. Fish and Game also participates in restoration efforts to restore and enhance migratory fish populations in the Connecticut River basin in New Hampshire. Atlantic salmon fry are stocked in the spring by regional Fish and Game staff and volunteers. Fish and Game works with many partners in this effort, including the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. For more information on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's efforts to restore migratory fish to the Connecticut River basin, click here.

Coastal Restoration Efforts
Coastal marine rivers in New Hampshire are also under restoration for American shad through the Coastal Anadromous Fish Restoration Program. In this effort, as with the Merrimack River, the pre-spawn adult shad are transported from the Lawrence fishway and stocked in the Exeter River. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement, as the coastal marine river herring runs provide a stock of pre-spawn herring adults that are trucked for stocking in the Merrimack River for restoration purposes.

Brood Stock Salmon Program
Fish and Game also transports hundreds of large brood stock Atlantic salmon for release in the Merrimack Basin each spring and fall, creating the only managed salmon fishery in New England. These fish are captured and kept to produce offspring, or "fry," more than a million of which are released each spring in an effort to restore sea-running fish to the Merrimack River basin. After spawning, they are released into the Merrimack, providing anglers with an exciting recreational opportunity. The brood stock salmon program is paid for through permit fees paid by anglers. For more information on New Hampshire's brood stock Atlantic salmon fishery, click here.

See the action! CLICK here to access a 3 minute video about stocking the Atlantic salmon fry.

Volunteers Needed to Help Stock Salmon Fry each Spring
Seasonally, the Fisheries Division needs volunteers each spring to help with fish stocking and other activities; call 603-271-2501. For example, volunteers assist with stocking salmon fry in early April as part of Atlantic salmon restoration efforts. The call for these hardy volunteers usually goes out in March:

• In central New Hampshire, the call goes out each spring for Fish and Game volunteers to help stock nearly a million small Atlantic salmon -- known as "fry" -- into several rivers and streams in the Merrimack River watershed. Volunteers must sign up in advance. Call Vikki Leonard at Fish and Game headquarters in Concord at (603) 271-2501 or email fisheries@wildlife.nh.gov.
• In northern New Hampshire, volunteers help stock over a half-million Atlantic salmon fry in several rivers and streams in the Upper Connecticut River watershed each spring. Contact Andrew Schafermeyer, Fisheries Biologist, N.H. Fish and Game, at (603) 788-3164 or email andrew.schafermeyer@wildlife.nh.gov.
• Over half a million Atlantic salmon fry are also stocked each spring in the Monadnock region -- southwestern New Hampshire's Connecticut River watershed. Additional volunteers are not generally needed. The contact for stocking in this area is Gabe Gries, Fisheries Biologist, N.H. Fish and Game, at (603) 352-9669 or gabriel.gries@wildlife.nh.gov.

Anadromous Fish Stocking Truck
Thanks to a remarkable cooperative effort, a special stocking truck that serves as a "fish shuttle" for Fish and Game's Anadromous Fish Program was acquired in October 2006. The truck supports all three major anadromous fish restoration programs in the state. This specially designed vehicle is equipped with two round 1,000-gallon tanks that allow the fish to constantly swim while being transported, as these fish must to survive.

N.H. Fish and Game is grateful to the dedicated anglers who donated generously to provide this truck to keep anadromous fish restoration going. It was purchased in part with $15,000 in funds donated by the N.H. Trout Unlimited Council and local Trout Unlimited Chapters (Basil Woods, Ammonoosuc, Merrimack River Valley, Great Bay, Pemigewasset, Squan-A-Tissit and Monadnock), the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, the Coastal Conservation Association of N.H. and many individual donors. These donations were added to $45,000 in matching funds (a 3-1 match) from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, achieving the total of $60,000 needed for the purchase. The project was further aided by a generous discount provided by Yankee Trucks of Concord. Collaborative projects such as this one are helping to bring these noble native fish back to New Hampshire waters.

 
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