Conservation Law Foundation Applauds Vote to Reopen the St. Croix to Alewives

Vote is an Important Step Forward in Restoring Important Fish and Water Quality

CONTACT:
Ben Carmichael, CLF, (617) 850-1743

Portland, ME, April 10, 2013 – Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) applauded today’s vote by the Maine state legislature to pass L.D. 72, which will open the fish ladder at the Grand Falls Dam an allow alewives, a key forage fish, to reach 98% of their natural habitat in the St. Croix River. The vote caps a two year effort by CLF advocates to restore a fishery that numbered close to 3 million until a state law closed the fish ladder and the number of alewives dwindled to less than 10,000. Last year CLF successfully filed suit against the EPA to enforce the Clean Water Act’s provision related to the state law and then filed suit against the State to invalidate that law.

“L.D. 72 corrects a practice of fisheries mismanagement that has been allowed to stand for almost two decades,” said Sean Mahoney, Executive Vice-President and Director for CLF Maine. “L.D. 72 properly places good science and the interest of many over the self interests of a few. While litigation is the principal tool of our trade, it is wonderful to see the Legislature right this wrong and we hope to be able to dismiss our case against the State soon.”

Introduced in March 2013, LD 72 found strong support among a number of the groups invested and concerned with the restoration of the St. Croix River and its native fish, including Maine fishermen, environmentalists, anglers, federal agencies, and the Passamaquoddy. “LD 72 ensures alewives will now return to the St. Croix River. The alternative bill proposed by the administration was a half-measure that would have still kept alewives from reaching most of their native habitat,” said CLF staff attorney Ivy Frignoca. “This is exactly the result that our legal advocacy was aiming for.”

Background:

Alewives, an anadromous species, are native to the St. Croix River and play an important ecological role in both freshwater and marine food chains and nutrient cycles. Based on false claims that non-native smallmouth bass were struggling due to the restoration of native alewife stocks, the Maine legislature passed a bill in 1995 that blocked alewife passage at the Woodland Dam and Grand Falls Dam on the St. Croix. In 2008, even after several peer-reviewed scientific studies showed alewives have no impact on small mouth bass, the Maine Legislature allowed alewife passage at the Woodland Dam, restoring only 2 percent of available habitat for alewives.

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Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) protects New England’s environment for the benefit of all people. Using the law, science and the market, CLF creates solutions that preserve natural resources, build healthy communities, and sustain a vibrant economy region-wide. Founded in 1966, CLF is a nonprofit, member-supported organization with offices in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.