In 2009, CBEP
initiated a study to identify barriers for migration of fish throughout
the watershed. Working in collaboration with the US Fish &
Wildlife Service Gulf of Maine Coastal Program and the Sebago Chapter
of Trout Unlimited, CBEP recruited and trained interns and volunteers,
who surveyed more than 700 road-stream crossings. They collected
detailed data from more than 480 culverts and approximately 30
dams. The survey was the first in the state to be carried out in
a region that is largely urban and suburban; previous Maine surveys
were focused on more rural landscapes.
Results from the 2009 field survey
indicate that most culverts are fish passage barriers. A quarter of all
culverts are impassable to fish because their outlet is perched
significantly above the elevation of the stream. Since most of
Maine's anadromous fishes don't jump, these culverts effectively block
upstream movement of many anadromous fishes. CBEP is working to restore
fish passage through a new culvert design.
