Commercial alewife fishing may return to this Maine town

PENOBSCOT BAY PRESS • November 1, 2024

Bailey Bowden, chair of Penobscot’s alewife committee, just received news he’s been hoping to hear for a decade. On Oct. 23, the quasi-governmental Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission approved the management plan for shad and river herring, including alewives, submitted by the Maine Department of Marine Resources. That state plan includes a proposal to reopen Penobscot’s commercial fishery at Wight’s Pond. There is still a process under state law before commercial harvesting can occur during next year’s spring alewife migration and spawning. “We have to get approval at the annual town meeting,” Bowden said.