Last year, a record number of American shad, lamprey, herring and eel passed through the Westfield River ladder.
Nathan Henderson, senior aquatic biologist with Metcalf & Eddy, uses a directional antenna to track shad that have been tagged as part of the Westfield shad fish study in 2004. An open house will this weekend will give people an upclose look at fish that travel through the West Springfield fish ladder.WEST SPRINGFIELD – Last year, a total of 3,444 American shad, 477 sea lamprey, four blueback herring and 377 American eel were passed upstream along the Westfield River in spring and summer months, a record high.
That array of species will be among those that visitors can view on Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., during the annual open house at the West Springfield fish ladder. The open house is located, as always, in the former Southworth Paper Company property on Front Street.
Every year since 1995, when the West Springfield fish ladder opened, the Westfield River Watershed Association has hosted an open house, an event that attracts several hundred visitors who have the opportunity to view passing fish and eel through an underwater window.
“An underwater viewing window offers viewers a chance to see fish returning to the river and its tributaries to spawn. Species that may be spotted include American shad, Atlantic salmon, sea lamprey and blueback herring,” said watershed association member Lynn Bannon.
“Experienced guides will explain the operation of the fish ladder and offer insights into the life cycles of the fish,” Bannon said.
The fish ladder, she added, provides access to upstream waters for migratory fish.
Five species of anadromous fish and six species of resident fish were identified and enumerated during the spring-summer fish passage season, according to Caleb Slater, anadromous fish project leader for the state Division of Wildlife. Anadromous fish are those which are born in fresh waters, such as rivers and streams, then travel out to sea to spend much of their lives before returning upriver to spawn.
In addition, white sucker, brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, tiger trout, and smallmouth bass – all non-anadromous fish, were documented passing upstream through the West Springfield fish passage facility in 2010, Slater added.
Not only are varying species of fish and eel counted at the fish ladder, Atlantic salmon are stocked in the hope that they will spawn in order to perpetuate the fish whose numbers are dwindling, he said.
“We stock 750 fry in the tributaries of the Westfield River,” Slater noted. “Every four years, the adults return. The fish ladder enables migrating fish to bypass the dam to spawn in the river.”
Slater also said that during the spring and summer season of 2010, three Atlantic salmon were trapped, after which all salmon were transported by personnel of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to the Richard Cronin National Salmon Station in Sunderland.
This once-a-year chance to visit the fish ladder is free to the public. Parking is available in the former Southworth lot at 150 Front St. A half-mile long path leads from the parking lot to the dam where the fish ladder is located. The event will be held rain or shine.