AMERICAN JOURNAL • December 30, 2020
The fish ladder on the Presumpscot River is for the most part complete and river advocates are now gearing up for the return of migrating sea-run fish for the first time in hundreds of years. “It’s a different river now. It’s the river it was always supposed to be but wasn’t,” said Michael Shaughnessy, Friends of the Presumpscot River president and city councilor. Work at Saccarappa Falls to remove the Sappi paper mill dams and build the fish ladder began in earnest last year after more than 20 years of discussions, debates and federal rulings. Friends of the Presumpscot plan to formally “acknowledge and welcome the spring runs of fish passing Saccarappa, an event that has not happened for hundreds of years due to the dams,” Shaughnessy said.