Help Count River Herring in Plymouth, MA

Alewives, also known as river herring, spawn in freshwater but spend most of their life at sea. (Ryan Hagerty/USFWS Photo)

Officials in Plymouth, Massachusetts need volunteers to help count migrating river herring this spring.

The Plymouth Division of Natural Resources is looking for volunteers to help track river herring as they migrate up Town Brook to Billington Sea.

Volunteers are asked to spend just 10 minutes doing the counts at Jenney Pond near the Plimoth Grist Mill each week beginning the last week of March and running through the first week of June.

Volunteers commit to one count per week during the 11-week run, but they can participate as often as they wish.

The work counts toward community service hours.

The fish seen in Town Brook are migrating to Billington Sea, 1.6 miles inland. Fish queue below the Jenney Grist Mill dam. During peak days of the migration, tens of thousands of fish can be seen waiting their turn to move through the fish ladder and make it over the dam.

Learn more about volunteering and the Plymouth river herring run.