Herring commission agrees to accept Nature Conservancy funding for weed removal, with conditions

Tom Brock, a member of the Middleborough-Lakeville Herring Fishery Commission, said the commission voted to accept funding to support weed-removal work on the river and related costs, with the money to be administered through outside billing rather than as a direct cash transfer to the commission.

The vote followed discussion of a recent offer from the Nature Conservancy, conveyed by Maria Gabriel, to underwrite a weed-removal effort similar in scale to last year’s project. Commission members stressed the offer is conditional: the donor’s funds reportedly must be spent by June, the work window typically available to contractors is a two-week period in August, and the commission will need amended orders of conditions and other approvals before work can occur.

Why this matters: the proposed work would fund an eco-harvester and related protections (turtle handling, contractor invoicing) intended to remove invasive aquatic vegetation in reaches that affect herring passage and habitat.…