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Town says herring‑run restoration at 30% design; this year’s counts were poor
Summary
The town is at roughly 30% design for a federally funded herring‑run restoration supported by about $1 million in grant money; officials said access and siltation complicate engineering and that this season’s herring counts were “terrible.”
During a question period, Nate Sears, deputy director of Natural Resources, said the herring‑run restoration is at about 30% design — the point at which permitting begins — and that the town received a roughly $1,000,000 federal conservation grant about three years ago to study and plan the work.
Sears said engineers are considering alternatives that preserve the run’s largely 1920s engineering character while addressing siltation and limited access across private property. He said the team will review the preferred alternative with the Division of Marine Fisheries before bringing the proposal to the Conservation Commission and beginning the permit process, and that construction could begin as early as winter 2027.
On population counts, Sears and other volunteers described this year’s herring run as “terrible,” with only small pockets of fish. Sears cited variable water levels, siltation and the loss of a longtime heron warden as complicating factors and noted that reproductive effects of a poor year may not be evident for five to seven years as cohorts mature and return.
The presentation identified engineering constraints tied to private access and emphasized ongoing coordination with state fisheries staff before formal permitting.
