Nequasset Fish Ladder
Helping alewives reach their spawning grounds since 1920
Nequasset Lake has provided drinking water to the City of Bath (and parts of Woolwich) for over 100 years. When the first dam was constructed in 1920 at the South end of Nequasset Lake in Woolwich, a stone fishway/ladder was included to allow the migrating alewives to reach the lake to spawn. It was rebuilt in 1955 and again in 2014. The Nequasset run helps between 250,000 and 500,000 fish make it to the lake each year. The alewives arrive at the dam in late April/early May and continue into early June.
Circle of Life
When water temps reach the mid-50s, it triggers the alewives’ instinct to migrate. So each Spring, when the water warms enough, adult alewives make their way up the Sasanoa river, bravely climb the fish ladder, and flop exhaustedly into the lake. About half of the fish that arrive at the dam successfully climb the ladder.
Once in the lake, they lay their eggs and pretty quickly make their way back down the river, passing the others who are still trying to make it upstream. They are on their way back to the nutrient-rich sea. Their eggs hatch later in the Spring and the wee alewives spend a few months in the lake growing and getting stronger. In the later summer or early Fall, that next generation migrates downstream to the sea. Some alewives may end up migrating 5 or 6 times over their lifetime.
Seagulls, bald eagles, and herons hang around during the fish run because it’s essentially an all-you-can-eat buffet.
The Players
The dam was built to create the reservoir that supplies the city of Bath and southern Woolwich with all of their fresh water. The Bath Water District owns the fish ladder, along with about 70% of the shoreland around the lake.
The 1955 fish ladder was starting to crumble and it was getting harder for the fish to make it to the Lake. 15% of the fish that reach the dam need to get over it in order to sustain the alewife population, but the numbers were decreasing. In 2011, the Bath Water District decided the whole thing needed an upgrade, so they partnered with the Town of Woolwich, Kennebec Estuary Land Trust and the State to design and build an upgraded dam with a more efficient ladder to allow for maximum fish passage.
One of Many
There are quite a few alewife ladders in the state (and down the East coast), including the well-known one up the road in Damariscotta Mills. The Nequasset ladder was reconstructed as a “denil-style fishway.” Each “step” is an angled, U-shaped baffle that creates turbulence. The turbulence slows the water down enough for alewives to swim through. Another design is “pool and weir” which is a series of gates with a slot at the top and resting pools. Some are simple ramps made of rocks. The goal of each is to slow the water down enough to allow the fish to climb up a slope to their destination. There are also some industrial versions that have a huge mechanical elevator system to lift alewives over dams (like at Benton Falls). It is estimated that there are over 100 fish ways of various design in Maine alone. The removal of some dams has eased the need slightly.
What is an Alewife?
“Alewife” is not just the name of the last T stop on the Red Line, but the name of a sleek, silvery fish. Alewives, or “river herring” are a smallish fish (6-12 inches or so) that migrate inland every Spring. The common story is that the name alewife came from the resemblance of the pot-bellied fish to the colonial stereotype of the wives of tavern owners – whose husbands served ales – so they’re Ale wives. Alewives are cousins to shads, menhadens, and sardines. They’re a bony fish and have been preserved and eaten for many years, first by the native Americans, and then by colonists.
Fish that perform this kind of annual migration from salt water to fresh water are classified as “Anadromous” and that category includes salmon, sturgeon, and striped bass.
Citizen Science
Each year, the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust organizes a fish count. Volunteers sign up online for two 10 minute counting periods during a 2 hour time slot. Count how many fish make their way across the top of the ladder and log it on the website. Those numbers are then extrapolated to come up with how many total fish made their way over – known as “escapement.”
Harvest Time
The fish ladder is not just about the passage of fish, but about harvesting alewives for bait and food. The harvesting of alewives at Nequasset is contracted out to a 79 year-old Dresden fisherman named Steve Bodge. His family has been operating the harvesting operation in Woolwich for 70 years. He splits the profits 50/50 with the town of Woolwich. He’s not sure how long he can keep going, but as of May 2026, he was still at it.
Steve is allowed to harvest from Thursday through Sunday, sunup through sundown. He opens a screen and the fish make their way into a chute. Steve then runs an electric winch that pulls a net up full of wriggling fish. He dumps them into a big metal box and then transfers them to bushels. The fish are sold to local lobsterman for bait (about $35/bushel). He also runs a small smokehouse at the site and you can buy his fish (along with fresh fiddleheads). In an average year, he sells a little over 1,000 bushels, with a high of almost 1,800 in 2024. Each bushel holds about 175 fish and weighs about 50 pounds.
Fisherman come from as far away as Mt. Desert Island to buy the alewives, swearing that alewives make the best bait. They’re more than happy to get there early and haul the bushels up the steep steps.
Actually, any Maine resident with a fishing license can harvest alewives (just not on a river with a commercial license like Nequasset). Each resident is allowed to catch 25 river herring per person per day, for personal use only – permitted 6:00 a.m. Sunday to 6:00 a.m. Thursday.
Bushels for Widows
One fascinating bit of trivia is that old Woolwich town laws gave widows residing in the town two free bushels of alewives pear year. That is still honored, so if you are a Woolwich widow (or know one), make sure you claim your two bushes each Spring. Steve said that there are two Woolwich widows who still come each year.
