Got this in an email from the folks at MSBA - if anyone has the availability and time, should be an interesting event:


May 15, 2006
MarineFisheries Advisory

MARINEFISHERIESSEEKS VOLUNTEERS TO HELP TRANSPORT RIVER HERRING TO THE UPPER MYSTIC LAKE

The Division of MarineFisheries (MarineFisheries) isjoining with the Medford Boat Club, Department of Conservation and Recreationand the Mystic River Watershed Association to help river herring reach the Upper Mystic Lake. Please see the notice below for a call to volunteers.

ya i saw that last week. i may be crazy, but i think this is a BAD idea.

here's the deal. this run is right down the street from my house.

there's two lakes. upper mystic, and lower mystic. there's a waterfall in between about ten feet high. thats the end of the line. they can't get up to the upper lake. it's been that way for a long time.
there's herring in there right now. tons of them. there usually there from mothers day to fathers day. you go at sundown and it's crazy insane with herring thousands. no joke.
so now the medford boat club is organizing this herring brigade for two mornings only. there's big fat pregnant herring in there now. the've been laying there eggs in the lower lake for ever. and every year they come back like clockwork.
sooo,,,now,, a bunch of people are gunna go for two mornings only when the run is 1/2 over and take whatever herring they can scoop up and dump them into the upper lake:hs: . bad idea. those fish will probably be all males. that is if there's any there when this happens.
my problem is there gunna take spawning fish out of the spawn and dump them upstream whear for 1 month no other herring has been able to get to and no other herring will be able to get to.
i'm willing to bet there won't be too many herring netted that day and the reports will say the run is dried up. put 15-20 guys standing on the falls trying to scoop and you can bet the herring can see them and won't be to easy to catch..

bad idea!! leave them alone!!! there there now, and there spawning. let them do there thing.

what they should do is build a ladder.

I agree with Mike - I have always seen the herring at that dam. I live close by also. Helping them up at this time will be counter effective. Perhaps the boat club could become friendly to the real fishermen and allow a fish ladder to be built. It is interesting to note that they are actually allowing:hs: people near their sacred dam and access to it.:as:

yea i live a few minutes away from this run as well and i agree with ff. leave em alone! their efforts would be better served trying to stop the poachers!

Aren't a bunch of guys with nets and buckets gonna look like a bunch of poachers? I wouldn't do it.