Damariscotta Mills Fishladder Restoration

Fish Happenings

Join the fun! Come to the festival! Celebrate alewives!! Saturday, Sunday 10 am - 5 pm and Monday 10 am - 3 pm--Memorial Day Weekend!!

May 22, 2013 Despite the rain. loads of new alewives came in last night and the fish ladder is full of fish--and there are thousands of alewives in the water between the fish house and the fish ladder. In addition, the pools are loaded all the way up to the top and thousands of fish are passing into the lake to spawn. A great time to visit!

Get your $10,000 raffle ticket--on sale now - at festival or online!! (see PDF below)

Smokehouse Update More alewives being smoked right now so there will be plenty of smoked alewives for sale during the festival weekend. And, "Get Smoked in Damariscotta Mills" t-shirts will be available too!

Harvesting Update Harvesting is well underway and will continue as long as there are fish. Per our harvesting plan, we can't havest from noon Friday to noon Sunday. Harvest times usually begin at 5 am and 5 pm.

From Route 1 take the Damariscotta exit to Business Route 1. Go straight at the stop sign just past the Congregational Church. Take Route 215 north for approximately 1.6 miles. There are two parking areas, one just after Look for a parking area just past the Austin Road on the left. Or, take the next left into the Fish House parking lot. Follow the path behind the fish house and you are there.

Directions to the Fish Ladder

From Route 1 heading north, take the Damariscotta exit to Business Route 1. Go straight at the stop sign just past the Congregational Church. Take Route 215 north for approximately 1.6 miles. Look for a parking area just past the Austin Road on the left. Or, take the next left into the Fish House parking lot. Follow the path behind the fish house and you are there. Coming south on Route 1, take the Damariscotta exit and take a right on Rt 215 across from the Louis Doe Home Center. The parking lots decribed above are about 1.3 miles on the left.

Download: $10K Raffle Sign-up

Welcome to historic Damariscotta Mills, Maine – home of the state's oldest and most productive Alewife fishery. Help support the restoration efforts and sponsor a stone, boulder, wall, weir or pool. Restoration of the fish ladder is critical to the health of the Damariscotta River alewife stocks. Alewives are an important part of the food chain and they contribute to the health of the marine environment and to the lakes and streams where the fish spawn. In the spring, alewives are a critical source of fresh bait for local lobstermen who are setting out gear after a winter ashore. The Towns of Newcastle & Nobleboro have harvested alewives since the 1700s and, by balancing conservation and economic goals, they have carefully tended the Damariscotta River alewife stocks. Today, all funds received for harvested alewives are spent to maintain and restore the fish ladder and harvesting area.