TIMES RECORD • October 12, 2026
Local environmental advocates say scores of river herring were killed in the turbines of the Brunswick-Topsham dam while attempting to move down the Androscoggin River recently. Free the Andro, a local group that has been advocating for better fish passage at the dam during its federal relicensing period, has reported thousands of dead herring “lining the shores” along the river. Many of these dead fish are visible along Water Street in Brunswick. “This fish kill is, unfortunately, not a surprise,” said Free the Andro founder Chip Spies. “These occurrences are the reason we founded Free the Andro and are working to create safe and effective upstream and downstream fish passage requirements for the Brunswick dam.”