2020 River Herring Migration

Pat McGee, Fisheries Biologist with RI Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) Division of Fish and Wildlife, leads the annual fish count at the top of the fish ladder on Gilbert Stuart Stream.

This year’s count of 125,196 migrating blueback herring and alewife (which make up the common term ‘river herring’) is significantly higher than the 2019 count of 35,832.

“I think we had a fairly strong year state-wide.” says McGee. “We had some pretty impressive single-counts at a number of sites. We’re hopeful that we can continue this upward trend as we continue to make improvements to herring runs throughout the state.”

This chart shows the last 39 years of RI Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) counts of river herring as they migrate up Gilbert Stuart Stream to spawn at Carr Pond.