Wiscasset American History Students Study Alewives and Human Ecology
WMHS American History students study human ecology at Damariscotta Mills, learning about the historic importance of alewives on the agricultural and the modern fishing industry. Indigenous Wabanaki peoples relied on massive spring migrations for survival, and European colonists soon used them to feed struggling settlements, fertilize crops, and salt for Caribbean trade. Alewives (a type of river herring) are small, sea-run fish that migrate up Maine's coastal rivers every spring to spawn in freshwater lakes and ponds. Their runs are a vital part of the local ecosystem and a crucial spring bait source for Maine lobstermen.
